Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorer's Dream
by Repenexus
Summary: The Explorer - a living manifestation of curiosity and competence. To become an Explorer - to take the Exploration Exam - is an arduous task, with the reward being a world never before seen. Four rookie applicants have entered this year with high hopes - but can they push through and rise above the rest to become Explorers, or will the exam prove too much for them to handle?
1. The First Storm

'Not again…'

Violet rolled out of the way of the projectile vomit, which slipped through one of the holes in her ratty hammock, leaving a small trail of undigested pea soup behind.

"... sorry," the ill Politoed moaned. "I… oh, my stomach… oh…"

Violet pursed her lips, then got up from her hammock, tired of having to deal with her bunk mate's indigestion. He had thrown up every ten minutes or so, and Violet would always have to dodge it since he didn't bother trying to puke somewhere else.

Violet made her way out of the cabin, frowning. She had paid a moderate sum of money - certainly more than other passengers on the ship had paid - to get a cabin to sleep in, instead of just a thin mattress on an empty patch of ground.

No matter. If she felt like it, she'd simply forgo the cabin and sleep with the rest of the passengers.

Now that she was out of the stench-filled room with the odorous Politoed, Violet's appetite returned from nonexistence. They'd serve more soup in several hours, but she didn't want to wait that long.

Making her way into the main hold, where all of the other applicants were resting while the tempest raged outside, she took a second to observe them.

Then she snorted.

"_These_ people are going to be applicants for the Exploration Exam?"

The Politoed was easily the strongest out of all of them. All of the other applicants were moaning and groaning on the floor, some begging for water or medicine.

Violet made her way across the sea of invalids, taking care not to step on them as she wasn't as affected as they were. She seemed to be the only one unaffected by the storm.

Except for that Audino with the white scarf. She was a rather perplexing case - when Violet saw her board at a port several days ago, she was carrying nothing but a small bag slung around her waist. But now she had a radio playing classical music by her side and was currently reading a book. Once in a while, one of the applicants would stagger up to her and beg for healing, and she would happily oblige - for a small fee, of course.

Perhaps Violet would deign to sit by her after she found something to fill her appetite.

Violet walked up to her. "Do you know where they're keeping the supplies?"

The Audino looked up, tilting her head. "Pardon me?"

"Where is the cargo hold? I'd like to find something to eat before they serve more of that slop they call food, and I don't want to waste time looking, so it would be helpful if you could give me directions."

The Audino got up and stretched a little, working out the kinks in her joints. "That sounds nice," she remarked. "Do you want me to take you there?"

"Directions will be more than sufficient."

"Alright, let's go."

Violet found herself reluctantly being dragged by the Audino, who didn't seem to take her refusal into account. A couple of the other applicants laughed at the Audino's antics.

Once they were out of the main hold, Violet released herself from the Audino's grasp.

"You can give me the directions now," Violet stated.

The Audino continued walking. "I'd like the chance to stretch my legs." The two of them wobbled a little bit as the ship suddenly hit a particularly tall wave. "I also need to get a new fastener for my radio since the old one has worn down already. It's a patch job."

Violet accepted that the Audino would just probably follow her to the cargo hold, even if she gave directions. "You built that radio, then?" she asked for confirmation.

The Audino nodded as they made their way down the stairs. "It's a talent," she admitted, a tiny smile on her face. "I always know what to do when putting something together. I wish I was as good with diffusing a Heal Pulse uniformly as I was with putting a radio together, though."

"I figured as much - there weren't any radios available for the passengers to use; you don't look like someone who would steal from a crew member either."

The Audino laughed. "My mother would have my hide if I ever stole something!" She offered a hand. "My name is Clarity - Clarity Glass."

Violet took the hand. "Violet Kain."

The two arrived at the cargo hold and stepped inside. Violet frowned as she smelled the pungent aroma that filled the air.

Violet started looking around the crates to see if there was anything worth eating. Most of the crates here were filled with medical supplies and little barrels of oil for the lanterns. Violet considered for a brief second that perhaps there wasn't any food in the cargo hold, before dismissing it instantly as self-doubt.

As Violet dug through a box of berries, trying to find any Apricorns to dig the flesh out of but finding only Pecha and Cheri Berries, she heard a rustle in one of the other boxes.

Her head snapped up, and she looked at Clarity.

"You heard that, right?" Clarity asked, looking at one of the boxes near the door.

Violet nodded, before extending her Aura senses. As she suspected, there was someone - or something - in the box. It was alive and roughly her size, which meant that it was most likely a fellow Pokémon.

Violet held up three fingers. "On three," she whispered.

Clarity started creeping to the box, and so did Violet. Within ten seconds, they were in position, right next to it.

"Three… Two… One… Now!"

In a sharp motion, the two of them grabbed the lid of the box and ripped it off, before tipping over the box and waiting for the person, or thing, to come out.

"..."

"..."

The two of them looked inside the box.

Inside, a small Munchlax, with a black spiral-shaped birthmark on his chest, was sleeping, apple cores littered around him.

Clarity breathed a sigh of relief. "Here I was thinking it was a stray Raticate or something." Clarity started shaking the Munchlax awake as Violet picked up an apple and inspected it, before taking a bite. "Hey, kid, wake up!"

The Muchlax's eyes blinked open. With a small roll, the Munchlax got up, yawned, adjusted his black scarf, and looked at the two of them.

"Where are we?"

Clarity scratched her head. "The boat? Where else would we be?"

The Munchlax took a bite out of one of the apple cores laying around. "We're on a boat?" The boat rocked as another wave hit, and the Munchlax wobbled. "Okay, we're on a boat."

Violet swallowed more of the apple flesh. "What's the last thing you remember?" she asked.

The Munchlax stuffed more apples into his hair as he spoke. "I was wandering around the dock when I found this crate of apples. It looked delicious, so I climbed in and chowed down. Then I fell asleep," he shrugged. "And woke up here."

"So you're not applying for the Exploration Exam?" The Munchlax didn't answer, as he was already stuffing more apple cores into his mouth.

Clarity sighed, before sitting down. "I'm taking that as a no, then." She looked at Violet. "How's the apple?"

"It's good," Violet answered. "Sweet and sour in the right places - premium quality."

Clarity took one of the apples and chewed on it. "It's not _that_ good. It's fine and all, but it doesn't melt in your mouth or anything."

Violet scoffed. "You _clearly_ have no taste," she dismissed.

Clarity bristled. "You want to say that again, Violet?" Clarity said, under her breath.

In response, Violet shook the Munchlax. "What's your name?"

The Munchlax blinked, his eyes fixed on the apple in her hand. "Apple."

"No, what's your name."

The Munchlax didn't pay attention to her, instead fixated on the apple in her hand. Then, in a motion she only barely caught, he swiped the apple from her hand.

"Hey!"

The Munchlax blinked at her, the apple already going down his gullet.

Violet seethed, before turning to Clarity. "Look at him - he can barely control himself - the apples are that good!" The Munchlax nodded in agreement.

Clarity harrumphed but took another bite out of the apple. Then, in another flash of movement, the Munchlax nabbed it too.

Clarity gaped as the Munchlax chomped down on that apple as well, not fully able to comprehend the Munchlax's speed. "How big is your appetite?!"

"Appetite?" The Munchlax searched around on the floor for more food. "I just eat whenever I feel like it - always."

Then the door flung open, and a Marowak stepped inside.

"Ms. Glass, some of the applicants have expressed concern for your well...being…" The Marowak looked at the scene - merchandise spilling everywhere and a filthy Munchlax munching on it.

Clarity nervously chuckled. "I can explain."

* * *

The three of them stood in the cockpit of the ship. The Captain looked at them, a helmsman taking over the steering of the ship through the storm.

Next to them, an aide was checking through the list of applicants.

"... Morpeko, Mudkip, Munna, Murkrow… there's no Munchlax here, sir." The aide reported.

The Captain sighed. "I don't take kindly to stowaways," he stated. "Tell me why you thought that you could board on my ship without permission."

The Munchlax didn't answer, too enraptured in some spare berries he found in the confines of his body hair.

The Captain turned to Violet and Clarity. "Why did you two think that you could steal from the cargo hold?"

"W-What? Steal?" Clarity nervously laughed. "We would never steal from you!"

The Captain said nothing. Instead, one of the drawers of his desk opened, and the radio came out.

"Expertly crafted, except for a few spare parts here and there… I would say I'm impressed, Ms. Glass... if it wasn't for the fact that you stole parts from our cargo hold to make it."

"What will your mother say?" Violet murmured acidly to her.

"Oh, shut it," she murmured back, annoyed, before turning to the Captain. "I was going to disassemble it, sir, once we got back to the port where you're dropping us off. I was only borrowing the parts."

The Captain simply floated there in silence, making Clarity a little nervous. Then he smiled, pleased.

"I don't sense that you're lying to me, Ms. Glass," he said. "I'm an excellent judge of character - you truly don't believe what you did was stealing, and I can see you had intentions of disassembling the radio once we reached the port."

Clarity emphatically nodded.

"But that doesn't change the fact that the action itself was stealing." The Captain turned to Violet. "And as for you, Ms. Kain… do you have so little self-control that you would steal and snack instead of waiting for dinner like everyone else?"

Distantly, Violet could feel Clarity straining to hold her back from killing the Captain. But that wasn't particularly important considering how much he needed to suffer for ridiculing her like that.

"Stop… stop it!"

Violet could feel Clarity's grip slowly loosening - as _if_ Clarity could hold her back.

Then Violet felt a smaller iron-strong hand grab her.

She turned to see the Munchlax grabbing her left arm, stopping her from rushing forward. Violet expected to see a confused or worried gaze looking at her, begging her to stop trying to attack the Captain.

Instead, she got an inquisitive gaze.

"Why did your eyes turn purple?"

Violet felt herself getting weak. With a sigh, she stopped pushing forward. Clarity and the Munchlax let go of her.

Violet pulled out her mirror and took a look at herself with it. Just as she thought, her eyes had turned purple again.

"It's nothing," she brushed off. "It's something that happens randomly now and again - don't think about it."

Neither of them looked like they believed her.

She turned to the Captain. "How much did the merchandise cost?"

"Roughly 300,000 berries worth of merchandise was either eaten, used, or otherwise tampered with. I won't fine you for what else you touched."

"I'm going to go broke after this," Violet complained while opening her wallet. She had roughly 304,000 berries in there, so she would be left with only 4,000 berries - just enough for a couple of meals.

The Captain opened up a small safe. "That'll be enough." He levitated the money they owed inside and locked it.

He turned to the Munchlax and Clarity. "And as for you two… you two are good kids, but need some discipline. Go help the crew - there's going to be a big storm coming up, and you're capable enough to help. If you need help with anything, feel free to ask."

The two nodded and began walking to the door. But the door then quickly locked itself, the Captain using psychic powers to do so.

"Hold on for a second. Before you leave, I'm going to ask a few more questions." The Captain looked at the Munchlax. "First of all, what's your name?"

"Apple."

Violet groaned. "Are you _still_ thinking about the apples you ate?!"

The Munchlax shook his head. "Nope! My name is Apple!"

"..."

Clarity started laughing.

"Shut up! You were thinking the same thing, no doubt."

Clarity just kept on laughing.

"Any last names?" The Captain pressed.

Apple shook his head. "No, I'm an orphan."

"Alright, then." The Captain pulled out a small ledged and a pen. "Apple, Violet Cain, and Clarity Glass are being put under consideration for the Exploration Exam."

"What?!" Violet's shriek echoed in the room. "What do you mean, 'under consideration'?!"

The Captain just looked at her. "Ms. Kain, I'm sure you know what the purpose of the Exploration Exam is, correct?"

Violet nodded. "Yes, it's the test people need to take to become Explorers - but what do you mean, 'we're under consideration'?!"

"Then you must know, just as well as anyone, that the Exploration Exam needs to be harsh in its selection. Free access to all public services, venues to black-market information, visas to all countries of the world, legal immunity for 70 percent of all crimes… the benefits given to Explorers are nearly endless. Only the most capable and qualified - the best of the best - can become Explorers.

"And you just stole an Apple because you were a little hungry. So, yes, you three are now 'under consideration' for taking the Exploration Exam."

"Even me?" Apple asked, pointing to himself. "But I didn't sign up."

The Captain laughed as the boat hit a particularly wild wave and the boat rocked. "Then would you like to go to prison instead?"

Apple remained silent.

"Once we arrive at our destination, you'll have illegally crossed borders. If I don't put your name in the file system for the Exploration Exam, you _will_ be treated as a criminal and an illegal alien." The Captain smiled. "Consider this a gift."

Apple nodded. "O-Of course."

"Though, you're still not in the clear yet. While you three are still under consideration - unlike every other applicant on this ship, who have all failed to remain strong enough to even stand and have been removed from the test - I still need to give my approval to the board."

The door slammed open.

"This storm is going to be rough. Impress me, you three."

* * *

The rope slipped out of Clarity's hands, slick with stormwater, and she cursed, before grabbing the rope before it flew too far.

"How - how are you handling this so well?!" She groaned to the Azumarill, who was pulling another rope beside her.

"It's tough - keep hold! - but you get used to it." The Azumarill smiled. "The mast isn't what's most dangerous right now, though."

The two of them were pulling the sails as the boat desperately fought against the storm. The crew was trying to pull the sails back into their proper position, but the gale-force winds constantly ripped the rope from their hands as they tried.

Apple and Violet had gone to the other masts of the ship, Violet taking the foremast while Apple took the mainmast. Clarity and the Azumarill were ones among many that took charge of the mizzenmast.

"What's most dangerous?!" Clarity shouted back, the gales of the storm messing with her delicate hearing.

"The Gyarados!"

"The _what_?!"

The Azumarill took a second to point at a speck of light somewhere off in the distance. Clarity squinted as the light grew larger and larger by the second.

Then a Hyper Beam smashed into the side of the ship.

Clarity nearly screamed as debris flew over her head, filling her vision for a second.

"Why is there a Gyarados- oh, no… right…"

They were at sea, in the deep waters on the left of the Demistean Continent. A prime feeding ground for Gyarados.

No, the better question was…

"Why are we taking this route?!"

The Azumarill shrugged. "We've taken this specific sea route every time there's an Exploration Exam. This is one of the Captain's unofficial tests."

Clarity grabbed the rope again as it slipped out of her hands again, and tried not to think about the potential death they could probably do nothing about.

"You've been on this trip, then - for previous Exploration Exams?"

"Yeah - this is the fourth trip I've had to make carting applicants to the exam site." The Azumarill shrugged. "I last longer than others do against it, so I'm picked over and over again."

"Against 'it'? What are you talking about..."

Then Clarity saw 'it'.

An Emperor Gyarados. Massive, undulating, expansive. Every convulsion it made as it flew straight at them sent a wave of sea spray at them.

Then Clarity saw another Gyarados (normal this time). Then she saw another. Soon, a whole school of Gyarados was circling the ship. Every few seconds, one would blast a Hyper Beam at them - and while it recharged, another would blast in its place.

"They're getting warmed up now, are they?!" The Azumarill shouted as the lights of the Hyper Beam flashed over their heads.

Then, without warning, the mast broke.

Clarity's face paled as the Gyarados roared in excitement.

But the mast didn't fall - instead, it glowed, suspended by the Captain's psychic powers.

"Like they haven't tried that before!" The Azumarill laughed uproariously. "I think… yeah, now's time for the counterattack!"

From on top of the poop deck, several Pokémon stood. A Raichu, an Electivire, and a Luxray. There was a bright flash of light as several hundred thousand volts of electricity traveled through the briny air. With a pained roar, one of the Gyarados fell.

"Well, Clarity, now do you see?!" The Azumarill laughed as Clarity desperately tried to hold on to the rope and her life, as both were in danger.

"See what?!" Clarity desperately shouted as the winds whipped her face. "How insane _everyone_ is?!"

"See what an Explorer needs to be able to take!" The Azumarill shouted back, a little gleeful and alive. "This isn't even the start of the test - if you give up now, you won't stand a Cubchoo's chance in hell in the exam!"

Clarity gulped as realizations of the magnitude of the endeavor she had signed up for lit up along with the electrified bodies of the Gyarados. Why had she wanted to do this again?

Right - she needed avenues to get around to finding the Panacea. That was what was important here.

Resolve reignited, Clarity grabbed the rope and wound it several times around her arms. It could cut off circulation and put them in danger of dislocation but would allow her to grip it easier. She'd be in more danger if the storm's winds blew her into a Gyarados mouth.

"Now we're getting somewhere - look!" The Azumarill pointed at the horizon. Clarity squinted - and then, in a gap between storm clouds, Clarity saw the first peeks of sunlight.

"Once we get out of the storm, we'll be able to fix the mast, and the Captain can summon a wind to blow us to safety!" The Azumarill gripped the rope tighter. "We're almost out of this! We're just going to have to make it through the barrage!"

"The barrage?!"

The ship shook and groaned as a Gyarados rammed its thick skull into the side of the boat, creating a large crack. One after another, the Gyarados school battered the ship, causing pieces of it to fall into the sea.

"H-How much longer?!"

"Five minutes - don't worry, the ship will easily last that long!" The Azumarill roared with a glint of excitement in her eyes. "They're going to go all out now!"

Soon the Gyarados started using a combination of Hyper Beams and bashing their brains out on the ship's exterior, not even flinching at the attacks the Electric-types were sending their way. At this point, Clarity was wondering what on earth the ship was made of, and how she could get her hands on it.

It would make for _incredible_ armor.

Then, the first Gyarados - the Emperor - threw himself at the ship.

The ship careened to one side, all of the passengers and crew members slipping and sliding along the floor. Clarity and the Azumarill became airborne, their feet dangling over the edge of the ship.

"What the - hold on!" The Azumarill shouted as they swung over the side of the ship, Clarity's ropes untwisting in the process. With her grip much weaker than before, she found herself desperately trying to do just what the Azumarill said.

Then, Clarity saw the Emperor again. Diving under the waves after his bash, he lunged at the Azumarill, intending to swallow her whole.

Clarity could only watch as the Emperor - as if in slow motion - closed its mouth around the finally fearful Azumarill.

It… it would happen again… wouldn't it?

Another one dying…

Leaning on the side of the rope with all her might, Clarity swung and changed her trajectory.

Just as the Azumarill was about to disappear down the Emperors' gullet, barely hanging on its tongue, Clarity landed on the Emperor's bottom jaw. Planting her feet, she grabbed the top jaw and wrenched it open.

"Clarity?!"

"Get out, _now_!" Clarity shouted, muscles on fire as she desperately pushed against the Emperor's mighty jaw.

But the Azumarill could only hang on for her life as Clarity continued straining against the Emperor's strength. As the Emperor started flinging her from side to side, the Azumarill started being dragged in by the Emperor's peristalsis - and Clarity could do nothing but watch and delay.

Then something flew by Clarity's side. Clarity's eyes widened as Violet roared, jumping straight into the Emperor's mouth.

"Violet?!"

Violet fell into the Emperor's maw and hung onto one of the Emperor's teeth. Violet then drew her hand mirror with her free hand.

"You're not dying - not on my watch! Mirror, Extend!"

Violet swung the mirror - and, like magic, it extended, the handle growing longer. The Azumarill let go of the tongue and instead grabbed onto the lengthened mirror, the Emperor's esophagus threatening to crush her.

Clarity knew that they were all seconds away from death, but still had the strange sense of optimism hanging around her - there was now a chance, however, slight. Once Violet managed to pull the Azumarill out, they would be able to escape safely.

Then the Emperor bucked, and Violet slipped.

Clarity's heart stopped for a second as Violet fell from the tooth into the Emperor's mouth, the Azumarill falling back in too.

There was nothing to it, Clarity realized. The two of them were going to die, and there was nothing that Clarity could do about it. All Clarity would be able to do is die…

… to leave someone else to die… and to be powerless… again...

… no… not this time…

Clarity was going to be an Explorer - and something like this wouldn't stop her. She hadn't even gotten started!

"Hold on, guys!"

Clarity let go of the Emperor's mouth and jumped in, landing on the same tooth Violet had.

"Violet, use the mirror!

Violet, holding on to the nearly engulfed Azumarill, heard her. With a strong swing of her arm, she pointed her mirror straight at Clarity, the handle extending again. With a strong swipe of the hand, Clarity grabbed onto it.

"Pull yourselves up, now!

The Emperor bucked and flung itself back and forth. As she held on for dear life, Violet and Azumarill slowly pulling themselves up, all Clarity allowed herself to think about was survival - hers, Violet's and Azumarill's. Nothing else mattered.

Then, in a crucial second when her attention was diverted, the Emperor got her.

The Emperor finally managed to shake her off the tooth. Clarity, Violet, and Azumarill started falling back into its belly, with no one else to save them. Clarity finally gave up. Now she wouldn't watch someone die helplessly - she'd be dying at the same time.

Then Clarity felt a sticky wet hand grab hers, and she turned to see a familiar face.

Apple, waterlogged with matted hair, smiled, as he gripped her hand and propped the Emperor's jaw open with one arm.

"I don't think it's very comfortable down there, is it?"

Although they were a hair's breadth away from dying, Clarity smiled.

"No… no, it isn't. Mind pulling us up?"

Apple didn't respond - instead, he pulled Clarity up with no lack of strength. Soon, she, Violet, and Azumarill had grabbed the edge of the Emperor's mouth, who was now shaking and thrashing with all his might to get them off or out.

But Apple hardly flinched at the tremors in the Emperor's body, still forcing the Emperor's jaw open easily, and instead pulled them up and stood them on the Emperor's jawbone.

Clarity coughed weakly, a little seawater coming up. "H-How are we going…"

Apple pointed to the ship, which was still in the storm, having slowed down slightly. "I convinced them to wait for us - we have to jump for it!"

Clarity looked at the Azumarill. "You go first."

"But I-"

Violet scoffed. "Don't worry about us - we're going to become Explorers. This will mean nothing."

That sentiment scared Clarity more than anything else - because, in her heart, she knew that it would be true.

The Azumarill said nothing. Then, slowly, she nodded, before jumping from the Emperor's mouth at the perfect arc and landing on the ship deck.

Violet looked at the two of them. "On three, we jump - that should give us our opening." Clarity and Apple nodded, Apple carefully adjusting his grasp on the Emperor's mouth.

"One… two…"

Clarity prepared her jump.

If only her mother could see her now.

"Three!"

The three of them leaped from the Emperor's mouth, which snapped shut behind them.

Then it became clear that, unlike with Azumarill, they wouldn't have such a safe return to the ship. Apple was magnitudes heavier than either of them and dropped like a stone, dragging them down with him.

As they plummeted toward the deadly waves, where a school of Carvanha that had followed the Emperor's school of Gyarados waited, Clarity contemplated the stupidity of her life.

"Mirror, Extend!"

Then, suddenly, their fall stopped. Clarity looked up to see Violet's mirror, extended thirty meters, wedged into the side of the ship.

"Like I'm going to die here!" Violet scoffed, looking down at Clarity and Apple. "Keep holding him up, would you, Clarity? Can you do that, _please_ \- make this easier on me?"

Clarity blinked. "Sure."

The three of them arrived at the side of the ship, with the rest of the crew peering down at them. The Azumarill was at the head of them all.

"Hold on!" She called. "We're going to save you - just hold on!"

Then the Emperor, having regained its bearings, roared.

"We might not have that much _time_ left!" Violet bit back.

"Let go of me!" Apple, who was doing his best to hang on to Clarity, shouted up at her. "If you keep holding onto me, you'll both die!"

"But if I let go, you'll die too!"

Apple was silent, and Clarity could see the gears in his head turning for a few seconds. Then…

"... don't let go of me?"

In spite of herself, Clarity laughed.

Above her, she could hear Violet snicker. "You - I can't believe…*snicker* you idiots!" Soon, Violet was convulsing, a hopeless grin on her face. "You-you're talking about throwing away and saving your lives so… so… bizarrely!"

Soon, even Apple was laughing. That strange sense of optimism returned, even when they were as close as ever to death.

"You know what, Apple?" Clarity offered. "Let's _all_ get out of this. Alive." Clarity could see the Emperor coiling itself, getting ready to lunge at them. "Preferably now."

Then Apple began swinging himself back and forth, making Clarity's grip on him slightly weaker. Clarity soon figured out what he was going for, and sighed, before swinging herself at the same time. If this was going to work, they were all going to have to work together.

Back and forth they swayed, higher and higher. Violet quickly cottoned on herself, soon swinging to their tempo.

The Emperor lunged.

And Violet removed the mirror from the side of the ship.

The Emperor's head crashed into the spot they were in, missing them by a split second. The three of them flew in the air, disjointed and free.

Then, finally, after what felt like an eternity, they landed back on the ship's decks, bouncing on it a couple of times with a few booms.

The Captain, smiling, pointed at the Emperor. "Fire!"

All of the Electric-types onboard - even a few of the patients that Clarity had healed earlier - fired all of their electrical attacks at the Emperor. With such a concentrated blast, the Emperor lasted only a few seconds before falling faint into the sea.

And finally… they escaped the storm.

* * *

Even though they started nearing the port where they were supposed to be dropped off, Clarity didn't do much to get ready. Granted, that was mostly because she was too preoccupied with healing all of those injured in the attack - one that was of a new scale and ferocity, according to some of the veteran crew members such as Azumarill.

"I've never seen the Emperor that agitated or reckless before - and he's the Emperor!" The Azumarill stated as Clarity bound up her broken leg in an impromptu cast. "None of us could have imagined he'd _throw himself_ at the boat!"

"You can now," Clarity pointed out, noting the largest crack on the boat's hull. "Because that will be a permanent reminder."

The Azumarill laughed. "Oh, that? The Exploration Confederation will fix it free of charge since it's in use for the exam. Captain uses this to get some upgrades to the ship now and again - this boat certainly lasts longer than it did two years ago, that's for sure."

Clarity whistled. "The Exploration Confederation sure has a lot of money to throw around, doesn't it?"

The Azumarill shrugged. "If you pass, you're going to be our first, and probably last, line of defense against the advancement of Mystery Dungeons. I'm pretty sure all of the nations around the world will be willing to help you with anything in exchange for protection."

Right, Mystery Dungeons… the 'hard part' of being an Explorer. Space-time anomalies that spread through the land like a virus, only killable by clearing them. The Explorers' chief responsibility, when they're not searching for treasure.

Urgh…

Clarity finished wrapping up the cast around the Azumarill's leg. "Now, don't go exerting yourself- What did I _just_ say?!"

The Azumarill, standing up, rubbed sheepishly. "I have a lot of work to do, and I can't exactly lay about, so… bye!" Before Clarity could say anything else, the Azumarill zipped off.

Clarity sighed in consternation. Mom had said she'd have to deal with unruly patients at one point or another, but this was _beyond_ ridiculous!

"Excuse me, Ms. Glass?" Clarity turned to see the Marowak who had captured them - who was now much more contrite and deferent. Perks of literally wrenching an Emperor Gyarados' mouth open. "The Captain would like to speak to you."

"Are there any other patients?"

The Marowak scratched his head. "Huh?"

"Are there any other patients?" Clarity asked, tapping her foot on the ground. "I'm the resident healer on this ship since the Chansey matron is currently unconscious from seasickness. It's my responsibility to make sure everyone is okay and safe. So, tell me - has everyone who needed medical treatment received it, or is there anyone that hasn't come to me yet?"

The Marowak scratched its head. "No, I think the rest of us will be alright."

Clarity got up, wiggled her foot a little bit to get it loose, then nodded. "Where is he?"

The Marowak pointed up. "On the bridge, since the cockpit was destroyed in the storm."

Clarity nodded. "Alright - thank you." Then, before the Marowak could say anything else, Clarity started walking toward the bridge.

"Hold on," the Marowak said behind her. Clarity turned to see him flushing. "I - thank you. Thank you for being so strong, and helping us, and…"

Clarity waved him off. "Don't mention it - just keep yourself safe, alright?"

"Of course!" The Marowak promised.

Clarity, now with a small smile, started walking to the bridge, where the Captain was waiting for her, along with Apple and Violet.

The Captain, who had been resting on the ground, started floating again. "Good. Now that we're all here, I have a few questions to ask."

"Are we confirmed to be able to take the Exploration Exam?" Violet interrupted, staring at the Captain with strong intensity.

"Hold up, Ms. Kain," the Captain laughed. "We have plenty of time - we're coming by the shore soon, and I want to be made sure of one last thing." The Captain looked us all squarely in the eyes. "Why do you want to become Explorers?

…

"Isn't that a little private?" Clarity asked.

The Captain showed no emotion. "Once you all answer the question, I'll tell you whether you pass my mini-Exam - and if you don't, I'll fail you."

Violet ground her teeth.

"And I know none of you will lie - Ms. Kain is much too prideful to bother lying about herself, and you, Ms. Glass, are much too honorable. I want to know what's driving you to take this exam, even knowing how much more dangerous it will be than this storm and the Emperor."

Neither Violet nor Clarity said anything. Then…

"I want to do it again!" Apple shouted, an ecstatic smile on his face. Drawing attention to himself, he continued. "That storm was a blast! Sure, there was the bit where we were all in danger, but everything else was so fresh, and exciting, and new! Jumping in the Emperor's mouth was incredible!"

Clarity saw a small flushed look on his face and listened to his heartbeat. He wasn't lying - he sincerely thought the storm was enjoyable. You wouldn't be able to tell he had just come close to a brush with death right now.

"And if becoming an Explorer means that I'll get to do something like that again, then I'll pass the Exploration Exam!"

The Captain laughed. "Well, that's as good a reason as any! Bet you're not regretting stowing away now!" The Captain turned to the two of them. "And as for you two… why do you want to take the Exploration Exam? Why do you want to be Explorers?"

Violet and Clarity were silent for a bit longer. Then…

"I have a destiny, Captain," Violet explained, puffing herself up. "I'm Violet Kain, the scion of the Kain line of Riolu and Lucario. I will become the greatest Explorer that ever lived, and will find the greatest, most beautiful treasures!"

"What treasures, specifically?"

Violet shrugged. "No legends or treasures have caught my eye yet - none are grand enough for someone of my caliber. But when I figure out the treasure I want… I will take it!" There was only resolve in Violet's voice.

"... that's not a plan, is it?" Clarity couldn't help but point out. "You're just going to do what you feel like?!"

"Of course not!" Violet scoffed. "I'll know, deep within me, what a real treasure will look like - and it'll certainly be more valuable than whatever ratty treasure _you_ find, Clarity."

"Hey - I'm not going to go looking for a 'ratty treasure'! I'm looking for something incredibly valuable, and it's more valuable than whatever bauble or trinket you decide to pilfer first!"

"B-Bauble?! You dare-"

As the two of them fought, Apple didn't say anything, pulling out another bunch of berries and snacking on them one by one. It looked like he would come in and interfere once or twice - but then, before long, he went back to ignoring them and eating his berries.

The Captain just chuckled. "It's clear that you have enough reason - at least to yourself - to become an Explorer, Ms. Kain."

He turned to Clarity. "And what about you, Ms. Glass? Why do you wish to be an Explorer?"

Clarity was silent.

"I want to find the Panacea," she finally said. "I know it's a fairy tale, and that I'll probably do more to help people by becoming a nurse or a doctor or something, but… if it's true… I want to find it."

The Panacea… the miracle cure. It can cure all diseases, all syndromes, all illnesses… if Clarity had it at that time, then…

'It isn't good to dwell on the past', Clarity reminded herself. 'Focus on the future - on passing the exam.'

The Captain studied her for a small while. Clarity found herself shrinking under his gaze. Then…

"Congratulations, you three - you pass."

The three of them blinked. Then a large smile stretched across Apple's face.

"We did it - we passed his exam!" A couple of berries fell from his arms, though he snatched them up again.

Violet scoffed. "Apple, he's not an _actual _examiner." There was a large smile stretching across her face too - and one across Clarity's as well.

After the storm and the Emperor… Clarity was surprised to find herself as happy as she was.

"Since the three of you have passed my unofficial examination, let me give you some information."

The Captain pointed to the horizon - and then Clarity noticed the island that they were sailing to. "That's Raliter Island - where the Exam will take place. The Exam location is much more hidden than we let on - oh, and here's some advice. Find the cave where even nightmares sleep."

As the ship neared the dock, the Captain smiled. "The rest will be up to you… Apple, Violet, Clarity."

The ship docked at port.

"Now get off my ship… and ace the exam. Good luck."

* * *

**I'm holding rather high hopes for this one.**

**If you've come here from Shades of Honor, I must say I'm rather appreciative. If you didn't, that's no problem.**

**This fic will loosely be based off Hunter X Hunter if you weren't able to figure that out already. Apple is Gon, Violet is Kurapika, and Clarity is Leorio. But, as you can see in the chapter, there's definitely going to be differences and divergences - and by the time we get to the story's equivalent of Yorknew, I'm 90% sure we'll have left the confines of Hunter X Hunter entirely. Of course, you don't need to know much about Hunter X Hunter, if you're wondering that.**

**Chapters are going to be short, hovering around 5k to 10k. That'll allow me to pump them out faster, hopefully.**

**Tell me what you think in a review! Are you excited for Exploration Exam? Do you think that they'll be able to take it? Feel free to give any and all feedback in a review. **

**Don't forget to favorite and follow!**

**Peace!**


	2. The Cave of Nightmares

"Say, Violet, what do you think of these mangapples?" Clarity held one of them up in the afternoon light, looking for any particularly bad blemishes.

Clarity passed it over to Violet, who inspected it thoroughly, before tossing it back. "It's fine," Violet shrugged. "But you don't have money, so why are you asking?"

"I wanted your opinion." Clarity tossed it in the pile with the other mangapples. "I've never actually seen one before."

"Really? They're in supermarkets - haven't you gone shopping before?"

"Just at the local farmer's market - I've never gone into a supermarket." Clarity waved her off. "Just a bit of curiosity."

Violet, though, had stopped paying attention, and instead looked out into the crowd. "Do you know where Apple is? He said he'd be back soon."

"He's probably gorging himself on the local cuisine - it won't take too long to find him." Violet extended her Aura sense and found Apple on the edge of their perceptions. "He's roughly twenty meters to the west."

Clarity hitched up her new case. "I'll go get him. Can you get us a map of the island?"

"I already have one," Violet answered, pulling out a printed map. "I borrowed it from my hometown's local library. Though, it might be a little outdated. I'll look for a new one or purchase an online copy."

"Good luck, then." Clarity started walking away.

Behind her, she heard a "Don't need it!" from Violet and suppressed a small smile, before groaning as the weight of the case she had recently bought started pushing down on her. She hadn't considered how hard it would be to run with it - well, she would adapt.

It took her three minutes, but she soon heard the sound of Apple's heartbeat.

"Apple, where are you?!" She called out, making sure to project her voice the way her mother taught her.

No response.

"Apple, I know you're there!"

No response.

Clarity rolled her eyes, before pinpointing Apple's location.

"Apple, we're _leaving_!" She started walking to where Apple was.

Apple, as it turned out, was sleeping, several apple cores and pits of other fruits laying around him.

Clarity walked over to him and started shaking. "Apple, get up."

Apple's eyes slowly opened, and he got up, yawning. "Sorry about that - had lunch, couldn't resist taking a nap. I had this amazing dream about cabbages - I managed to force the cabbages to dance for me." Apple was a lucid dreamer - he could stay mentally aware when he was dreaming and even control them to an extent.

Apple scratched his side. "When are we leaving for the cave?"

"As soon as Violet finds another map," Clarity started pushing him. "Now let's go - we have to get to the exam site by tomorrow and we're burning daylight!"

Sometimes, Clarity wondered how her mother had managed to handle them as children - she already had enough trouble with these twelve-year-olds.

Apple stuffed the last apple core from the ground into his mouth and swallowed it down. "Okay, got it!" Apple attempted a hopping motion. "Let's do this! Get ready, Explorer Exam - the Apple awaits!"

They walked across the street to where Violet was waiting for them, squinting hard at the map and turning it at odd times.

Once they arrived, Violet turned to them. "There's no cave," she answered, an annoyed frown deeply set on her face.

"But the Captain-"

Violet tossed the maps to her. "Try finding the cave yourself, then."

Clarity caught the map, before laying it on the ground in front of her. Thirty seconds later, she sighed. "Alright, fine. The map says that there's no cave on Raliter Island, but that doesn't mean the Captain lied to us! Maybe both maps are inaccurate?"

"I checked the other maps at other stores. I've asked the locals. I've youxied it, just in case. There _is_ no cave."

Clarity blinked. "It's been five minutes."

Violet smirked. "I work quickly, Clarity - that is, when I want to."

"Maybe the locals forgot about it?" Apple offered. "Or they just lied?"

Clarity turned a skeptical eye on Apple. "Do you think that the locals all just _forgot_ that they have a cave on the island?"

Violet, though, was mulling it over. "There _are_ Pokémon that can erase and alter memories, so it isn't impossible. None of the people I spoke to were liars, so they genuinely believed there weren't any caves on this island."

"How do you know they aren't liars?" Clarity had to ask.

"Emotion sensing with aura. If I concentrate hard, I can tell if someone is panicking or trying to come up with a lie. It isn't a foolproof method, but I managed to talk to twenty or so Pokémon, and they were all confused when I asked them. They genuinely believe there isn't a cave on Raliter Island."

"Then where do we go from here?!" Apple asked, fidgeting a little.

Violet started walking away. "Let me meditate on it," she said. "I'll probably be able to think of something - you guys just relax."

Violet hopped from windowsill to windowsill, eventually landing on the shingles of a nearby house. Then, with a deep breath, she sat down in a meditative pose.

Clarity turned to Apple. "We're not going to get any more help from her for a while. Let's go searching around."

"Where, though?" Apple asked. "How do we find a cave that doesn't exist?"

Clarity sighed, before ducking into an alleyway. "I'll try to make something that can get me the topography of the island. You just… relax." She offered.

Apple rolled his eyes, pulling out an apple from in his hair. "You sound just like Violet." He took a big bite into the apple.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!"

The sudden shout left Apple flailing and Clarity fumbling around with the tools she had taken out of her case.

Clarity turned around to see an Applin frowning at them. "Do you _mind_?!" They screeched. Apple flinched.

"Oh, I'm so, _so_ sorry," Apple immediately said, small tears welling up in his eyes. "I - I didn't know!"

The Applin looked at Apple scornfully. "Is this what I get for trying to take a nap on a park bench? Some idiotic Munchlax taking a bite out of the first thing he sees? Is it?!"

Apple started nervously kicking the ground. "I - I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

The Applin sighed, before turning to Clarity. "Do you have any berries?"

Clarity pulled out her wallet. "I don't have many berries, but-"

"Not the money, you dolt!" The Applin shouted. "Actual berries!"

"Oh! Uh, yeah, we have some." Clarity looked into her case and found her medicine pouch. "I have Oran, Rawst, Pecha-"

"Oran will do, thank you," the Applin interjected.

Clarity pursed her lips, before grabbing two Oran berries and passing them to the Applin. "Are these fine?"

The Applin just grabbed the berries and stuffed them into the bite wound Apple had given him. With a squelching motion, the berries were slowly sucked into the Applin's body.

Then the Applin's apple flesh started regenerating.

"That's… amazing!" Clarity looked closer. "It looks as good as new!"

The Applin snorted. "_He_ didn't touch the core, so it's relatively simple to recreate what he ate." The Applin rolled around. "Oh, it's good to move around again - ever since your friend stuffed me into his hair a few days ago, I've been trapped and muted."

Clarity looked at Apple. "Next time, make sure that you don't store or eat any Pokémon, please."

Apple scratched the back of his head. "I promise I won't do it again," he said, before sitting down.

"You'd better not," the Applin warned. "Hey, Audino, what time is it?"

"The time?" Clarity checked her watch. "It's twelve-seventeen."

The Applin sighed in relief. "And, if I'm correct, it's the twenty-third of March?"

"Um… yeah?"

A smile came over the Applin's face. "So I'm not late, then - I still have a day or two to make it to Dad's shop!"

Clarity connected some dots. "You came here to work for your Dad?"

The Applin nodded. "I haven't been able to find any employment abroad, so Dad offered me a position at the shop while I find some employment here on Raliter. Dad said I have to be here by the twenty-fifth, though - that's when he'll finalize any employments."

"Um… that's cool and all… Clarity?" Apple nudged me to the pile of scrap on the ground. "What do you say we leave?"

The look on Apple's face told Clarity he was a little uncomfortable standing next to the Applin he almost ate alive, but Clarity had a spark of intuition.

"Say… Applin, what's your name?"

"My name is Rocces."

"Rocces, you've been around this island before, right?"

Rocces puffed himself up. "Lived here as a kid, before Mom divorced Dad and brought me to Ginateranda, in Belairo."

Clarity nodded. "Oh, that's great!" She clapped her hands together. "If you have a lot of free time on your hands, can you help us out? I think you have what we all need."

Rocces blushed. Nice to see her charm was working.

"Of course!" He quickly agreed. "What do you need… er… what's your name?"

"Clarity," Clarity introduced herself. "And this is Apple." She nudged Apple, who weakly waved. "We were wondering if there are any caves on Raliter - we'd like to visit one."

Rocces looked pensive. "Any caves… well, I… erm…" Rocces squinted his eyes. "I _think_ there _was_ a mine in the hills - though, it collapsed for some reason twelve years ago."

Apple's eyes lit up. "Can you tell us where that mine is?"

Rocces sighed. "I was six when it happened, so I don't know where it is," he explained. "I could ask my father, he helped dig it out before he set up shop," he offered.

But Clarity shook her head. "There's no need. Rocces, you've been amazingly helpful."

Rocces frowned. "All I told you was that there was a mine shaft in the hills. That's not very helpful at all - anyone could have told you that."

"Everyone's been saying that there's no cave on Raliter Island," Apple explained.

"You've been the only help we've gotten on this island," Clarity told Rocces. "And you've already given us a lead on where we need to go next. We'll call you if we need anything more."

"Um… I don't have a corb." Rocces sheepishly. "I'm going to wait until I have limbs before I get one."

"Oh - sorry," Clarity awkwardly smiled. "Thanks for everything, then."

"If I get a corb, I'll make sure to get into contact with you again," Rocces promised. Then he started rolling away. "Thanks for the talk, Clarity!" Then Rocces rolled out of sight.

"What about me…?" Apple muttered.

"You tried to eat him. I don't think he can like you after that." Apple looked away in shame. "Though, I'm glad you did, since he's free and we have a lead."

Clarity put down her case and reached into it, pulling out her corb.

"Call Violet," she commanded, and the corb lifted and started floating in the air. Then it started dialing.

C-Orbs, more widely known as 'Corbs', are the direct successors to the Connection Orbs from Aghwateria. They allow users to call each other, video chat, view television (under the right plan), and access many other forms of communication.

A holographic form of Violet appeared in the air, meditating.

Violet opened her eyes, annoyed. "Clarity, I'm _trying_ to meditate."

"Apple and I have found a lead." Clarity decided to cut right to the chase.

Violet sighed, before getting up. "I'll be right there," she promised, as the hologram started running in place. "End call."

The hologram flickered out of existence as the corb dropped to the floor.

Clarity picked it up again and stuffed it into her case. A few seconds later, Violet ran up to them in the flesh.

"What's the lead?" Violet immediately asked, not wanting to waste time.

Clarity related to Violet what Rocces had told them about the collapsed entrance to the mine shaft.

That doesn't make sense," Violet remarked. "If the entrance collapsed, then why not just make a new one? It sounds like it was too big of a big project for them to just abandon at the drop of a hat." Violet pulled out her corb. "Let me check."

Violet connected to the Connexus and went to Youxie, a popular search engine. "Let's see… 'Raliter Mine Collapse'... Rocces wasn't lying, Clarity. There's an abandoned and collapsed mine shaft…" Violet's eyes narrowed. "Hold on… there's no location…"

"What do you mean - how can there be no location?"

Violet turned her corb around so Apple could see. "There's nothing in here about _where_ the mine shaft is - there are no maps about it. All the maps of the hills show are more hills - no caves or shafts anywhere. But it _exists_ since there's official documentation."

"Apple, what she means is that it exists, but it isn't on any maps. Which leads us back to the start."

"Well, we know we aren't wasting our time, at least," Apple offered. "If it _exists_, then all we have to do is find it ourselves."

Violet pocketed her corb. "Then let's get moving - I want to get to the exam site by sundown."

* * *

Apple yawned as he walked through the hills, trying to find any hint of a secret entrance or something like that. The Captain said that they would need to find the cave, so it had to be a part of the exam. And since it existed, but wasn't on any maps, that meant that the examiners were hiding it somewhere.

But where could you hide a cave? It's not like you can just magic it away.

While Apple whittled away his time idly searching for the mine (knowing he had a low chance of finding it), the others were searching for the mine entrance in their unique ways.

Clarity decided that since she was well equipped to deal with machines, she could build a device to amplify her already superb hearing and palpate for any cavities in the ground. Apple didn't understand what she meant by that, even though Violet tried to explain it to him.

Violet, meanwhile, was trying to use her Aura sense to find wild Pokémon in the ground. She said that they could give clues about any tunnels in the ground, though Apple didn't know why.

Apple sighed. This was… boring. He was expecting the exam to be interesting, exciting, impactful, and a lot of other words Pear would use in her writing. But no, he was just a Munchlax - he had no Aura sense or super-hearing or anything useful. All he had was a strong appetite… which reminded him, that he hadn't eaten anything in a few hours.

Apple looked around, making sure that no one was looking at him, before pulling a stick of celery out of his hair. They didn't have any taste, but that didn't matter to him - he just wanted that nice feeling of something sliding down his throat again.

After he gulped down the stick, he decided to relax and think about things. _He_ couldn't do anything, so it was okay for him to let Violet and Clarity do things for him… again.

"I wish… I could do something to help."

"You're doing fine, Apple," Clarity distractedly shouted at him, having heard him from all the way where she was building that machine. "Just sit tight."

But Apple didn't want to sit tight, so all Clarity did was make him frown.

Then Apple noticed something.

Off in the distance, there was a small herd of Wooloo and Dubwool that grazed on the sparse grass on the hills. They would stop now and again to chew on some of the grass, then move on.

However, there was a patch of grass on the side of one of the hills that they were avoiding at all costs and leaving a large berth around. Apple saw one little Wooloo child attempt to graze on it before its mother Dubwool shooed it away from the patch of perfectly good grass.

"And… it's… done!" Clarity shouted, lifting her new device. A large drum was attached to a cable, which led to an earpiece connected to Clarity's ear.

"Congratulations - now will you let me concentrate, Clarity?" Violet bit out, her eyes closed as she extended her Aura senses.

Clarity sighed, turning to Apple as she shrugged with a smile still on her face. "Well, Apple, I think that I'll be able to get us to the mine shaft quickly now."

Clarity then began her search, putting the drum of the machine to the ground and walking from patch of grass to patch of grass. She would then sit still for ten seconds, listening to the ground with her instrument, before moving on.

"Clarity, how long will this take?" Apple found himself asking.

"Oh, an hour or two, maybe three if we're a little unlucky," Clarity idly commented as she moved on to the next patch.

Apple groaned. More waiting! More of this feeling… useless!

"Apple, stop complaining and do something!" Violet called over to him, irked.

Apple blinked. He hadn't said any… Violet could sense emotions. She had heard his complaint to Clarity and felt his frustration and figured out what else he had wanted to say.

Clarity turned to Violet. "He's been doing just _fine_, thank you very much!" She snapped. "He's just a little impatient - he'll start feeling better soon."

Every word that was being said was driving Apple into more and more of an unhappy sulk.

Clarity turned to Apple. "Just be patient, okay, Apple? Once we find the entrance of the mine, I'm sure you'll be helpful."

Somehow, Apple doubted it.

As Clarity started the search up again, Apple started walking across the fields, trying to find a hint - any hint - of the mine. Still, he could find nothing.

If only there was some sort of sign…

Then Apple looked at the side of the hill again, his eyes crossing that way accidentally. A small Wooloo was tumbled and fell away from its herd, into the small patch of grass no one would enter. His mother just looked at the Wooloo, worried, but didn't come after him.

The Wooloo slowly got up and exited the patch of grass. The mother quickly rushed to him, caressing him with love-filled licks.

Then Apple had an idea.

"Clarity! Clarity!" Apple shouted, something akin to hope growing inside him. "I think I know where the entrance is!"

Clarity's head snapped up. "What - are you serious?!" Clarity picked up her machine. "Where?"

Apple ran as fast as he could - which was only marginally faster than Clarity's walk - to the side of the hill, where the Wooloo had fallen. "I think the entrance is here!"

"Why _here_ \- just curious?"

"Well, there was this Wooloo, and its mother wouldn't come to get it, and… and…" Apple quickly realized how absurd it sounded. "I… uh…"

Clarity rolled her eyes. "Well, if I'm here anyway, I might as well check it." Clarity put the drum to the ground and listened closely.

Then her eyes snapped open. "Apple, you're right! This sounds different from the other patches!" She went to other patches of grass near the special one. "Yeah, that patch sounds different from all these patches - it's hollow!"

"Do you think it's the entrance to the mine?!"

"Probably!" Clarity turned to Violet. "Violet, come over here!"

Violet opened her eyes, before jumping across the hilltops to the special patch of grass. "What is it?"

"Can you check this under this patch of grass with your Aura sense, Violet?" Clarity requested.

Violet shrugged. "If you _really_ want me to." Violet closed her eyes as she began concentrating. "There's nothing under here - no Pokémon, no soil, nothing!"

Apple had heard enough. He started winding his arms.

"Apple, what are you-"

"HIYA!"

Apple lunged forward and struck the hillside with the full force of his fist. With a large explosion, the side of the hill collapsed, revealing a large hole that led deeper underground.

Clarity stared. "How did you…"

"I'm really strong," Apple said, rubbing his knuckles a little bit. "I've never had to try hard for anything strength-related."

"As expected," Violet nodded, before climbing over the rocks. "Let's go - it's getting close to sunset and the deadline for arriving at the exam is tomorrow. We don't have any time to lose."

* * *

The three of them walked through the inside of the mine shaft… though since there weren't any miners, could it still be called a mine shaft?

There was a small pitter-patter of water dripping from somewhere as they walked through the mine shaft.

"So… we're in here," Clarity said, once they were some ways inside the mine shaft. "Now what do we do?"

Violet frowned. "All the Captain said to do was 'find the cave where even nightmares sleep'... and we've found it."

"This isn't exactly a cave, though," Clarity argued. "And there isn't much we can do now." An alarmed look crossed her face. "Do you think that this is a dead-end?"

Violet shook her head. "The Captain didn't sound like he was lying - and I didn't feel any deceit in his heart. You didn't hear a lie either, right?"

Clarity said nothing.

"Then what do we do _now_?" Apple asked. "Do we just keep on going through the mine?"

"Probably," Clarity argued. "It's better than nothing."

Violet brought out her mirror. "There's nothing I won't be able to handle," she promised Apple. "So you can rest easy."

"I dunno… this place is giving me a strange feeling…" He felt that there was something wrong with his surroundings… something he wasn't quite catching.

Clarity laughed. "Don't worry about it, Apple." She clapped his back, making him stumble forward a little. "Just relax."

"Alright…" he mumbled.

They continued walking for a while until Apple's stomach started growling again.

"Again?" Violet asked, looking at him with confusion. "Didn't you eat an hour ago?"

Apple shrugged. "I'm a Munchlax - we get hungry." Apple reached into his hair and pulled out an Apple. He took a bite into it before he noticed something.

"Clarity… is it just me, or does this Apple look like Rocces?"

Clarity was about to answer before Apple heard a loud growling sound. "What is that?" Clarity asked fearfully.

Apple turned to see something that stopped his heart. An abomination, a Pokémon he had never seen before, stood before him. With twelve eyes and thirty fangs, its five-foot mouth easily eclipsed the size of the Emperor Gyarados.

Apple stepped back. "V-Violet? Clarity? What i-is that thing?!"

"I don't know!" Violet's eyes were wide and her fingers were shaking. "W-We should run!"

But before they could even get the chance to turn around, the creature moved. With three of its seven arms, it grabbed them and started crushing them, their bones cracking and popping.

Apple was searing with pain, as he gritted his teeth. Were they going to die here?

Then the monster shifted him the wrong way, his grasp weakening for a second, and Apple managed to pull an arm out.

"G-Go away!" He weakly shouted, punching the arm lightly.

There was a large boom, and the monster was flung back, its weakened grasp letting go of Clarity and Violet. It slid to the wall and landed in a heap.

"A-Apple!" Clarity looked at him with surprise. "How did you…"

Apple stared at his hand. "I'm strong… but I'm not _that_ strong…"

Then the creature looked at him, instantly healing the damage it had taken. The three of them instantly got back into a fighting stance, but instead the creature roared, before its eyes glowed yellow.

"What the…" Something about the yellow eyes looked off to Apple.

He blinked.

Then the creature fell asleep.

They stood still for a couple of seconds. For a few seconds, Apple felt something imperceptible about the mine shaft… about Clarity and Violet… about the monster… 'shift'. Then…

_*WOOSH*_

In a puff of white mist, the monster disappeared.

For a minute or two, the three of them just stopped and stared. "What just… happened?" Clarity asked, scratching her head, still shaking slightly out of fear. "Why did it go away?"

"Just be thankful that it did," Violet muttered, before stretching. "I think we should stay here for a while. Can you heal our injuries, Clarity?"

Clarity nodded. "Stay still," she commanded, her hands glowing with healing energy. Violet obeyed, as Clarity ran her hands over her.

It was a few minutes before Violet was back to full health. Clarity ran her hands over herself, and soon she was at top health too.

"Can you heal me too, Clarity?" Apple asked.

Clarity nodded, before running her hands over Apple. Then she frowned. "Apple, I don't know why… but your injuries aren't healing."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm using Healing Hand - that's a variation of Heal Pulse - on you, but it isn't working."

Apple got up. "Conserve your energy," he advised, before looking at where the monster had disappeared. "We don't know if it'll be back."

They started walking again.

"So, what do you think that monster was?" Apple asked, desperate to get his mind off of the pain. "I've never seen anything like that."

Violet and Clarity shook their heads. "I think that's what caused the mine to collapse," Violet conjectured. "I don't think you could continue working on that mine after a thing like that appears."

"Hopefully it doesn't come back after us again," Clarity optimistically said. "Anyway, Apple, what was it that you wanted to say?"

Apple brought out the apple that he had taken a bite out of. "Does this Apple look like Rocces?"

Clarity grabbed the apple and inspected it. "A little," she agreed. "But not that much." She passed it back to Apple, who swallowed it whole.

"Who is this Rocces you guys are talking about?" Violet asked.

Apple frowned. "Didn't we tell you about him, Violet…" Apple's voice trailed off, as a large thumping sound echoed through the mine.

"You don't think…" Clarity nervously asked, before her fears were quickly confirmed. The monster, with a great rumbling, leaped into view, before shooting its arms forward and grabbing them all again.

"N-Not again…" Apple gasped, as his bones started cracking again. He didn't know if he would be able to walk after this. "I'm… not going to…"

Violet and Clarity continued struggling, but it was all for naught. They were going to die here, weren't they.

Apple's eyes flashed, as he managed to wrench out his arm again. "I'm not going to die here!" He roared, before punching the creature with all of his might.

The blow glanced off the creature's hide harmlessly.

Apple swore he heard the creature laugh as his knuckles started bleeding.

"W-What?!" It had worked so well last time - and now it didn't even scratch him!

The monster started squeezing Apple even tighter, and Apple saw spots dancing before his eyes.

Apple started thrashing, in a desperate attempt to get the monster to let him go. But all he did was weaken himself.

"Am I… am I…"

Apple was at the last dregs of his energy, so he decided to put everything into one last attack - a small kick. With a small movement - barely even a tap - he kicked the creature's arm, hoping beyond hope that it would hurt it.

The creature's arm flew off, and it recoiled, dropping Violet and Clarity, who were both wide-eyed.

"W-What the…" Apple nearly collapsed having spent his energy. The creature looked at him with loathing, before regenerating again. It looked at him one last time, eyes glowing a chilling yellow, before falling asleep again and disappearing with a puff of white mist. Apple felt a strange sense of unease fall over him again.

Clarity once again healed herself and Violet but found herself unable to heal Apple again. Since Apple found it difficult to move, Violet carried him as they went through the mine shaft.

Apple felt sick to his stomach. As they walked on in silence, Apple found himself dreading the creature. When would it appear aga-

It appeared again, attacking the three of them.

And then Apple beat it back, this time with a bite.

And then Clarity healed Violet and herself.

Again and again and again and again and again.

They fell into a cycle. They would be forging on until the creature would appear before them. Clarity and Violet would quickly be captured, and could do nothing to fight - Apple was the one who would have to save them, over and over and over again.

Each time, the creature would come back stronger, but still vulnerable to something. Sometimes it was a swipe, a punch, a kick, a lick. Anything and everything would either not work this time around or be its Achilles Heel, even though it looked the same as it had always been.

Clarity and Violet never fought back, for some reason Apple couldn't fathom. They would just sit and struggle in the monster's grip, like damsels in distress. Apple had confronted them in one turn of the cycle, but they denied their lack of fighting.

Once Apple had beat the monster back, it would drop Clarity and Violet, who always had only broken bones, and then regenerate any damage. Then its eyes would glow yellow, it would fall asleep, a creepy feeling would tingle down Apple's spine, and it would disappear into white mist.

Clarity would then heal herself and Violet, but she was always unable to heal Apple. The injuries grew more and more costly. Apple was soon indistinguishable from a walking corpse, and could only barely protect the others from the creature.

Then they would continue journeying deeper into the mine before the creature would confront them again.

Eventually, they all came to expect the monster's arrival, attack, and their subsequent defeat. Staying still, preparing for it, laying any sort of trap, running away… nothing would work. Anything they tried the creature would circumvent and defeat, and they grew powerless before it… until Apple tapped it with a claw and it screamed like a baby, dropping them.

Rinse and repeat, _ad infinitum_.

As the monster appeared before them, Apple could only sigh before it grabbed them and started crushing him again. Breathing hurt… living hurt…

What was the point? At some point, he would be unable to fight back - he was nearly comatose with injuries right now. His strength would falter permanently, and Clarity and Violet would fall…

…

…

Clarity and Violet didn't say anything. They had come to expect this by now. They knew that _their_ struggles didn't matter, so they were waiting for Apple's miraculous strength to come again.

…

…

…

As the monster continued crushing Apple, a few things fell out of Apple's blood-matted hair. Berries, peaches, a few mangapples he had swiped from a vendor's stand… and his large collection of apples.

Apple's stomach growled, hungry, but Apple knew that since he was about to die, he wouldn't be able to eat anything.

It was a shame too - that apple down there looked delicious. It looked a little bit like… Rocces…

Fragments of thought, previously dulled by pain, spring back to life. The eerie yellow glow of the monster's eyes as it disappeared… the impossibility of the monster's strength… his inability to heal… Clarity and Violet's strange uncooperativeness… the strange sensation of nothing being _quite_ right… an apple, which he had swallowed whole what felt like an hour ago, lying perfectly whole on the ground in front of him, no worse for the wear…

… this is the cave where even nightmares sleep…

… how could he have been so blind?

Apple began to laugh, stunning Clarity and Violet… no, what he _thought_ were Clarity and Violet. The monster - the nightmare - just growled at him menacingly, before slamming him to the floor.

Except that it couldn't, as the floor had turned into some chicken soup at Apple's command.

The nightmare dropped him out of surprise, and Apple floated back to the top.

"This is all just a dream - a nightmare!" Apple began laughing. "I can't believe it! No wonder I couldn't hurt you when you didn't want me to! No wonder my 'teammates' never fought back! No wonder the apple I ate is undigested! No wonder Clarity's 'healing' didn't work!"

Apple flung his arms out, ignoring the cries of the nightmare and his 'teammates'. "This is all just a nightmare! Wake!"

The world dissolved around him.

He was facing the nightmare again. It had regenerated the damage it had taken.

And Apple had fewer injuries.

"Banana vortex!" Apple started spinning round and round. His long fur started shooting out long, girthy plantains, which started flying around in a tornado.

"Attack, my banana vortex!"

The banana tornado sucked up the nightmare and started smashing it repeatedly into the walls.

'Clarity' and 'Violet' stared at him.

Apple flung out his hands. "This is just another dream! Wake!"

The world shattered around him again. Apple was in a layered dream - each time the nightmare had made its eyes glow and gone to sleep, it put him in a newer, deeper sleep as well. He was in a layered dream.

Apple faced a newly regenerated nightmare, as a few of his 'injuries' had 'healed'. Since he was no longer in the dream layer where they had occurred, they ceased existing.

"Mildly inappropriate droppings!" Dung in the shape of those figures in the magazines Pear had bought - the ones that he was 'too young to read' - started dropping on the nightmare.

Before anyone could react, Apple flung out his arms again. "Another layer! Wake!"

The world shattered around him again.

Apple was having a lot of fun with this.

"Apple juice fountain from my fingertips! Wake! Women's underwear blackhole! Wake! Anvil made from crystallized mango stems! Wake!"

Yep, he was having fun with this.

One by one, his injuries started disappearing, as he left the layers of the dream where they had occurred in the first place. The fake Clarity and Violet continued doing nothing as Apple mercilessly destroyed the nightmare in every layer of the dream.

Soon, he got to the top layer - where all of his wounds were fresh ones.

"Space Ripper Stingy Eyes!" That was from a comic Pear had shown him a few weeks ago - some 'vampire' used it against someone with breathing powers (or was it sunlight powers?). It was weird.

Apple shot lasers from his eyes, which blasted straight through the nightmare.

Apple raised an arm into the air again. "Wake!"

The world shattered around him one last time.

They were at the entrance of the mine, and Apple could see the night sky outside. Clarity and Violet (hopefully the real ones) were lying on the ground next to him, sleeping.

Still, just to be sure…

Apple slammed his hands together. "Almighty Super Powerful Energy Beam of Nigh-Impossible Strength and Destruction… go!" Apple flung his hands out as if he was shooting an energy attack.

Nothing happened.

Apple sighed, relieved. "I'm in the real world."

He walked over the Violet and Clarity. "Wake up… wake up… wake up…"

"They're not going to wake up that easily." A woman's voice drawled behind him.

Apple turned to the Hypno that had revealed herself from the shadows.

"Oh, hi!" Apple waved. "How are you doing?"

The Hypno looked at him, confused. "I'm... alright. You _do_ realize I'm threatening you, correct?"

Apple waved her off. "Not really," he admitted. "The Captain wouldn't tell us about you, then."

"He's my partner," the Hypno claimed, cross. "I get him to lure people with strong minds and powerful dreams to me."

"You're lying," Apple said. "I can feel it."

The Hypno looked at him, deadpan. "You can… feel it."

"That, and it wouldn't make sense for him to tell us that we should go to the cave 'where nightmares sleep'. If he just wanted to lure us here, he'd say go to the cave."

The Hypno stayed silent.

Then there as a stirring next to him, and Violet and Clarity slowly got up.

"You're awake!" Apple shouted as the Hypno stared, gobsmacked, beside him.

"Thanks, Apple," Clarity groused. "You were so loud that I heard you in my dreams." She looked at the Hypno. "So, are you the one the Captain told us about?"

The Hypno sighed. "What did he say?"

"He said that you're with the examiners - that you'll help us get to the exam." Clarity said. "Where is it?"

The Hypno said nothing.

"Apple, next time, be quicker about waking up," Violet demanded. "I'd prefer that we don't waste our time on beauty sleep."

Apple pouted.

"You're a lively bunch, aren't you?" The Hypno turned away. "I was never too skilled with lying anyway. The three of you managed to wake yourselves from my hypnotic sleep, and you did it in competent-enough ways (even if one of you just happened to be a lucid dreamer)." The Hypno started walking deeper into the mine. "Follow me. I'll lead you to the exam site."

Apple, Clarity, and Violet looked at each other before Apple grinned. This was more like it!

"Let's go!"

* * *

Heads or tails, heads or tails… let's try tails this time.

He snuck up on a Raboot and tapped them on the shoulder, brushing up against them (and reaching into their bag subtly). "Hey, can I ask for a favor, please?"

The Raboot spun wildly about, before getting on its guard. "Who are you, Eevee? What do you want?"

Paranoid, weren't they?

He tossed the Raboot the coin. "If at all possible, would you kindly flip this coin with your feet," he asked the Raboot. "And I'm Mint - Mint Evoli."

The Raboot scoffed. "And what if I don't?"

"Well, I suppose I would have to find someone else, then," Mint gaily told him

The Raboot remained silent for a few seconds, before nodding. "Fine." The Raboot took the coin and bounced it on his foot a couple of times, before catching it. "Heads," the Raboot stated, before handing the coin back to Mint. "Now leave me alone."

How cold. Mint no longer felt bad about pickpocketing the Raboot's corb.

Regardless, the coin landed on heads - that was the side of 'get off your ass and do something'. He'd stop wasting time with pickpocketing shortchange from nimrods and start gathering information.

Mint idly started wandering around the site. The other participants were starting to feel restless, the exam site fast approaching. Mint started mentally cataloging what he knew about the participants so far.

"Mi Amor!" A boisterous voice cut through the air.

Interesting Pokémon number one: Gallus the Gallade. The telekinetic romantic, the one who always woos women before a battle.

Gallus's arm wrapped around a blushing Delcatty as he whispered into her ear. Mint could only barely catch what he was saying.

"Don't worry, mi Amor," he 'whispered'. "If anyone comes to attack you, I will protect you with my life!"

The thing was, Gallus was known for making that promise - and keeping it. Everyone who he had sworn protection to was relatively safe - their most hated enemies and Gallus' rivals in love could never even touch them.

Mint brushed past him. "Sorry," he quickly apologized, at the Gallade's quick unsheathing of arm-swords. "Just passing through."

Gallus looked at him suspiciously. He could read the surface level of Mint's thoughts. That alone made him dangerous enough.

Mint moved onward.

"I'm a ninja!"

Interesting Pokémon number two: Tsuki Gekoga, a Greninja. She wasn't that famous, so Mint knew nearly next to nothing about her but what he observed.

Mint tapped Tsuki on her shoulder. "Excuse me - you're Tsuki, correct?"

Tsuki turned around, nodding quickly. "Yes, that's me!" She took Mint's hand quickly and started shaking it hard. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance." She looked around heavily, making sure no one else was watching, before whispering into Mint's ear. "Don't tell anyone… but I'm a ninja!"

"Of course." Anyone in their vicinity would know just by listening in, so there was no point in keeping what wasn't a secret in the first place. "But, if I may ask… where do you go to learn to be a ninja?"

"You have to go to my clan in the mountains of…" Tsuki's eyes widened. "I almost gave away our secret clan location to an outsider - ahahaha!"

Tsuki was a bit of a jolly idiot. But if her grip strength was anything to go by, she'd be a powerful foe to fight. Best to keep an eye on her nonetheless.

"Mi Amor!" Gallus strode over to them, giving Mint a small stink eye. "This ruffian isn't giving you any trouble, is he?"

Mint took that excuse to leave, letting the two talk with each other, before moving on to others.

Interesting Pokémon number three: X.

Just X.

Supposedly, there was nothing else on his application. Gender? X. Name? X. Species? X. Affiliations? X.

They stood off in the corner, completely cloaked from head to tail and wearing a circular mask that covered the entirety of their face. There wasn't even a hint as to who they were. Their body told no tales either - the body shape was unlike any other diagrammed Pokémon's and they had no nervous tics to betray any skills.

The only thing Mint felt sure about X was about the insignia on the breast of their cloak - a black hexagon. Mint felt he had seen it somewhere before, but he wasn't sure exactly where.

There was an air of darkness around X as well, making anyone near them leave as soon as possible.

If Mint's instincts told him anything, this was a person to avoid.

"We've arrived! We've arrived!"

Strange - those voices weren't coming from the teleportation pads. Mint turned to where the voices were coming from - the entrance to the mine above.

Four figures entered from the opening, and all of the conversations came to a halt as the participants of the exam looked at the new arrivals.

A Hypno, Munchlax, Audino, and Riolu stood at the entrance. The Munchlax was eager and excited, looking over the crowd eagerly, while the Audino simply observed the crowd and whispered to the Riolu. Unfortunately, they were too far away for him to hear - his senses weren't _that_ strong.

The Riolu, meanwhile, was scanning the crowd, looking for anyone dangerous. That led her a little bit of credence - she was already doing better than 90 percent of the participants, who were doing nothing but fretting over their safety and chances of beating the exam.

If you were worried about your ability to pass, then you clearly wouldn't get that far. Mint would pass, easily - the only complications would come from the other participants.

Speaking of complications…

"Hello!" A Slurpuff strode forward, carrying a bag of cream puffs and Poffins. "Nice to meet you - my name is Peaton."

The Munchlax took the hand. "Nice to meet you - my name is Apple! Is this your first time too?"

Peaton shook his head. "No - in fact, this may be my…" Peaton made a show of counting on his fingers. "Twentieth time going through the exam!"

The Riolu raised an eyebrow. "Twentieth time?" she asked. "Most people would have given up by that point."

Peaton shook his head. "I'm not most people," he proudly stated. "I'll take the exam over and over again if I have to - one day, I'll pass for sure!"

"Sure," the Riolu deadpanned, before taking one of the badges offered to her by an assistant Indeedee and pinning it on her chest. As her two companions followed suit (the Hypno had left at some point), she smirked. "You don't have any intentions of passing, do you?"

Peaton nervously laughed. "What do you mean? I just want to get this test over and done with, just like you guys."

The Riolu shook her head. "But you enjoy taking this test, don't you?" She asked rhetorically, a smug grin on her face. "It's written all over you - it was child's play to figure out."

Mint quickly remembered the abilities of a Riolu - they could read someone's Aura, a person's manifestation of life energy and emotions. Not necessarily foolproof, though - if someone had superior control over their emotions, their Aura would forfeit their secrets.

Peaton pursed his lips, as a serious look came over his face. Then he laughed. "I guess you're right," he admitted. "I just really enjoy taking this test - there's _something_ I can't help but enjoy when I see every potential Explorer trying their best to pass this exam!"

Mint knew Peaton was lying from his interactions with him earlier. But Peaton's emotions were carried across quite clearly, and Mint could see the Riolu relax a near-imperceptible amount.

"Of course, it rarely happens, you know," Peaton mentioned. "The percentage of people who make it this far versus the number of people who pass is… oh, one, two percent?" Peaton shrugged. "Who knows how many people will pass this time around."

The Riolu smirked. "How many people will pass?" She let out a snort. "At least one - me."

Peaton 'balked'. "I dunno…" he murmured. "The competition's fierce this year - although, it's not like it isn't usually fierce."

"Competition?"

The Munchlax - Apple, was it? - frowned. "Competition? Why would people compete - isn't this an exam?"

Peaton laughed. "'Why would people compete?' - oh, that's a good one!" He clapped Apple on his back. "Well, Apple, becoming an Explorer means becoming an elite. The standards rise every so often, as more and more capable people get their licenses. Only a small percentage of people can get ever get in."

"... okay… and… ?"

"There are only a few spots open each year for getting a license - no more than ten Pokémon will be getting their licenses." Peaton smiled wryly. "You'd fare better if you cut down the competition."

_*SCHLICK*_

There was a wet slurp, and the exam site went silent. Slowly, heads turned to see what happened. Peaton stopped in the middle of his speech to look at what happened with Apple and his friends following suit.

Then Mint smelled it and sighed. That familiar scent - blood.

"What… what are you doing to me?!" A Machoke was weakly trying to remain upright. Several large puncture wounds littered his body, with more appearing by the second. "Why… why am I bleeding?!"

A Zoroark - _that_ Zoroark - just looked at him with a passive disinterest, idly twirling a blue pen in his hand. "You know, you really should look where you're going. Bumping into people without apologizing is rude - didn't your mother teach you anything?"

The Machoke couldn't respond, as he was choking on his blood and bleeding out before the crowd's eyes. Yet no one moved.

Clicking his fingers and materializing a piece of paper, the Zoroark began to write. Transfixed, the rest of the examinees watched.

"_The thick stench wafted, torpid, over the snouts of the fighters. A few began shaking - how could this have happened? What sort of monster would do something like this?_"

The Zoroark then stopped narrating his writing, and simply looked at the piece of paper. Then he ripped it without a second glance.

"No… that wasn't the experience I needed," he murmured. "Perhaps… if I take another…"

That was all the examinees needed to hear. With a quick rush of movement, they fled, cowering in the corners of the room. Gallus ground his teeth and made a fighting gesture - yet he was shaking with fear. Mint couldn't blame him - he wasn't faring much better.

"That's White - Asmodeus White." Peaton was talking again, though Mint couldn't find it in him to pay attention.

"The author?!" The Audino exclaimed. "I'm a fan of his work - that's him?!" She gulped. "But - but he's insane… he killed that Machoke for just bumping into him!"

Peaton laughed in a melancholy way. "'Just for bumping into him'? Last year he killed an examiner for no reason - the Machoke could have been prostrating and worshipping him, and White would have still killed him."

"And he's still allowed to take the test?!"

Peaton's eyes glinted. "You're rather naive, aren't you?" The Audino said nothing. "Anyone is allowed to take the test. Half of the participants here are on death row, people with nothing to lose if they die. You're not going to be turned down from taking the exam, even if you're the devil incarnate."

Peaton jutted a finger at a monstrosity of a participant, whose body rattled like a mannequin and whose species was wholly unknown. Like White, everyone gave him a wide berth. "See that guy - Kitakura? Nobody knows who that guy is, where he comes from, anything… only that he killed the guide that brought him here."

"What… is he?" The Audino took a few steps back. "I don't think that's any recorded Pokémon species."

"Nobody knows," Peaton repeated. "He's even confirmed that he's an abomination, to those that ask - then he kills them." Peaton pointed to a Ludicolo corpse tossed to the corner of the exam site. "See?"

"H… How…"

"As I said, _anyone_ can take the Explorer Exam. Since the exam hasn't even started, he can't be disqualified." Peaton said in an offhand manner. "You're allowed to kill your opponents in the exam too, provided the examiners permit it."

The Audino blanched. "So that was why they had us sign that many waivers, then?"

"Yep - and all the other competitors will take full advantage of it. The only ones you can trust are the people you _know_ won't betray you - and that only means the four of us." Peaton pointed to himself, Apple, the Audino, and the Riolu in turn. "So keep your guard!"

"We'll make sure to do that," the Audino promised.

"Excellent!" Peaton praised, before opening his bag of cream puffs and Poffins. "Let's make a toast to this new friendship!"

He handed the three of them one of his pastries. "To victory in the Explorer Exam!"

It was at this point that Mint had sighed, seeing Apple scarf down the pastry before the three of them could react. After all, there was no point in paying attention to them anymore - they were out of the exam.

As he walked away, he made sure not to get his paws wet in the bile and shit of Peaton's previous victims, who were deluded into believing Peaton's 'overtures of friendship' and took the pastries laced with drugs as a result.

Interesting Pokémon number four: Peaton the Traitor.

Known for crushing the dreams of any first-time participant of the Explorer Exam. Mint had made sure to learn about him, as he routinely went after those who were taking the Explorer Exam for the first time (for the sick pleasures, most likely).

Those three participants were like all the rest. Soon they would be writhing on the ground like all the rest.

Then Mint felt a shift in the airflow of the room. Quickly, he sidestepped the projectile that had been flown his way.

A half-digested bite of Poffin splat onto the wall, before sliding down with a squelching sound. Mint slowly turned around.

That Munchlax - Apple, Mint remembered - was busy trying to wipe his tongue. "It's awful, just awful!" He moaned. "That tasted awful!"

Peaton 'sheepishly' rubbed his back. "Uh, sorry about that, I may have given you the wrong one." Peaton quickly pulled another pastry out of his bag. "I think this one will-"

"NOPE!" Apple slapped it out of Peaton's hands, before grabbing Peaton. "If we're friends… you will _not_ give me that - that - that _abomination_ of a pastry ever again - actually, you should never even cook again!"

Peaton jerked himself away from Apple's grasp. "What's the matter with you? So you didn't like my pastry - so what? Try another!" Peaton slammed the pastry into Apple's throat.

Apple blinked a few times before his eyes started watering.

"BLECH!" Apple spat out the entire thing. "I can't eat that - that tastes worse than rocks, and rocks don't taste that good!" Apple then spat the rest of the pastry into Peaton's bag. "That's what I think of your cooking."

The Riolu and the Audino looked at each other, before handing Peaton their pastries back. "Sorry, but I don't think that we're interested," the Audino said. "We… don't want to taste it, if it's bad enough to make _Apple_ spit it out."

"I… see." Peaton took the pastries, before turning away without a second glance.

Over the next few minutes, Apple belched and burped a lot - but by the time the exam was supposed to start, Mint saw him make a full recovery. Peaton, on the other hand, just stewed in anger, having been denied what he wanted from the three of them.

Then Mint decided to rub the salt in Peaton's wound.

"Hey, Peaton!" Mint sauntered up to the Slurpuff. "Do you have any more of those cream puffs?"

Peaton, eyes wide, snapped to Mint. "You… you're that shiny Eevee…" His eyes narrowed before he reached into his bag and handed Mint a Poffin. "I'm out of cream puffs - I hope this will be good enough."

"Let's see!" Mint took the Poffin and ate half of it with a large gulp. As the drugged pastry started digesting in his stomach, Mint took note of Peaton's confused glance. "You know, that Munchlax was wrong - you _are_ a good cook. If you ever decided to stop sabotaging participants, you could own a patisserie."

Peaton, confused, just looked at Mint's stomach. Meanwhile, the Audino's ears pricked up - she must have heard them from across the room. There wouldn't be any trust left in Peaton.

"If you're waiting for the drugs to kick in," Mint snorted. "Then I should probably warn you - they're not going to." Inside him, Mint felt the drugs be degraded into nothingness. "I've been trained against all kinds of poisons and venoms, and that was _nothing_," Mint smirked. "Say, can I have another one?"

Peaton's eyes widened. "You… you brat." He then started walking away… but he was off-balance. Mint had done that well.

And the Poffin _was _good - much better than Mint's brother's attempts at baking. Pickpocketing Peaton's wallet was a bonus too - though, he didn't have much. Mint would pawn it off at some point.

"May I have your attention, please?!" The Indeedee's - the one who gave them all their badges - voice echoed across the room. "Are there any participants who don't currently have a badge?"

A couple of Pokémon came forward, and the Indeedee gave them new badges. "Make sure to keep your badge safe", the Indeedee warned. "If you don't have your badge on you at all times during the exam, you will be liable for disqualification."

A few participants secured their badges a little more closely and began looking at everyone else's badges. They had figured out the implication - getting rid of a badge was a fast way to kick out a competitor.

The Indeedee smiled. "And now that everyone has a badge, I'll be handing responsibility over to Desta." Behind the Indeedee, an Ambipom appeared, bowing. "Good luck with the exam!"

With that, something shimmered - Mint wasn't quite sure what - and the Indeedee disappeared. All that was left was the Ambipom.

"Good afternoon. My name is Desta, as you may know," Desta said. "As of now, the reception for the exam is over - if you don't have a badge now, you will not be able to participate in the exam."

Desta turned away, facing the interior of the mine. "Follow me to arrive at the second phase of the exam."

Second phase?

Then Desta started running. It was a strange thing - instead of using his legs, Desta used his tails for running, using available stalactites and stalagmites as hooks for swinging.

Then some participants started following him - and with a great start, everyone realized what had happened.

The first phase of the exam had begun.

* * *

**One month later, and he updates! It's a miracle! A Christmas Miracle!**

**Sorry about the wait. I've been swamped with exams, projects, and presentations for the last month, and it's taken its toll on my writing speed. I hope that with a month-long break I'll be able to give you some quick updates. I hope that before the next year rolls around, I'll have at least another chapter posted.**

**If you liked this chapter, feel free to favorite, follow, and/or review.**

**Catch you later!**


	3. The Tunnel and Thickening Woods

Back home, Mint had three slides, twelve boxes of blocks, two sandpits, a playground, nine different game consoles (with the games stolen from his brother's collection, of course) and nine different brands of trampolines, each carefully picked to match each other aesthetically.

But Mint's favorite toys were yo-yos (they were so spinny) and his skateboard - so that was what he brought in his bag.

Of course, it took a little bit of digging around in his pack to find it, under the bags of chips and juice boxes, but he eventually found it - the collapsible skateboard. With the ease of practice, Mint unfolded it - then frowned. A little bit of juice had spilled on it. Now it would be sticky and gross.

"Running's still worse, though." As if he was going to run in that crowd - everyone would get sticky and sweaty. This was far less gross than that would be.

Mint set his bag down on the skateboard, before getting on himself.

"Explorer Exam, let's go!"

With a new burst of vigor, Mint started pushing against the ground to build up speed. Soon, he was coasting along. Of course, he was still behind the others - far, far behind. But he could make up lost ground easily, so why push himself that hard?

The tunnel they were in went farther and farther down into the earth, with drops of water constantly falling on the ground. Mint deftly maneuvered his skateboard to dodge the tiny pools of water on the ground.

In addition to the pools of water, stalagmites and stalactites littered the ground and floor. They were easy enough to dodge, but Mint imagined it would be harder once he caught up.

And that time was arriving soon - he already saw some of the participants that had given up. A Slowpoke here, a Sunkern there - those that just didn't have the ardor to run for more than… five minutes?

Had they never run a day in their life? They were practically dying on the floor, begging for water.

Well, they could have the water in the pools. Mint was never - NEVER! - going to share his beloved juice boxes with them.

Still, if this was how hard the Explorer Exam was, then Mint couldn't help but wonder why exactly so many people failed. It isn't that hard to run (not that Mint was running, but that's beside the point) for a long time - and while that Desta guy said that he was leading them to the second phase (meaning that this was the first), Mint wasn't too sure if this would have any sort of difficulty to it.

After all, finding the examination ground was a piece of cake. Mint had taken a flight from his home country to Provell, where he then took a three-hour-long ferry to Raliter Island. Then, after keeping an ear out, he found that the buses taking prospective participants 'to the exam site' just flung the participants into a chasm.

At that point, Mint went online and searched for any development projects on Raliter Island in the past year. That too was a bust, since Raliter Island was a hick island nation that only built the occasional shrine, the last of which was built three years ago.

Suffice it to say, Mint didn't have any leads - at least, until he found out about the mine. An abandoned project after the main tunnel collapsed - yet no actual position where the collapse was.

So Mint dialed up some old 'family friends' and got them to spill the beans about the mine shaft. That was how he found out it was the entrance to the Explorer Exam.

And once word of this curiosity got around to other members of the underground, someone offered to teleport him there. One lie check later, and Mint tentatively agreed, landing him at the exam site a few days early.

All in all, it took him three or four days to get from his front lawn to the exam site. And if this was the actual test (and not some clever fake test the real examiners made to throw him off) then he was going to pass with flying colors.

And just by casually coasting along, he had already caught up with a few of the straggling runners. There was a Clefairy whose legs were stubby yet pumping furiously, a Lotad that just refused to give up, and…

And that Munchlax from earlier - Apple. He wasn't doing much better than the others - his legs were scratched and torn apart from the ground. His Riolu and Audino friends weren't there either - they had probably gone on ahead.

Though, to be honest, Mint didn't think that Apple had much of a chance of passing the exam anyway. Mint coasted past him without much thought.

Then there was an awful groaning sound, and Mint nearly lost balance.

"What the-" Mint whirled around.

Apple had jumped onto the skateboard, right as Mint passed him.

"Um… sorry," Apple apologized. "It just looks so much easier when you're riding and-"

"Get off my skateboard!" Mint pushed Apple hard, but the freeloader just grabbed on tighter to Mint's board.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Apple shouted, still holding on, even as Mint started pushing him harder and harder. The skateboard continued speeding on. "It just hurts to run!"

Then, in the middle of their struggle, Apple's eyes widened. "Stalactite!"

Why was Apple so worried about a stalactite? They were dozens of meters from the ceiling of the tunnel-

A large stalagmite, jutting out at an awkward angle, slammed into Mint, sending him flying from his skateboard. Mint tumbled to the ground, falling into one of the ponds.

Apple's eyes widened before he grabbed the stalagmite and brought his skateboard to a stop. "Why didn't you dodge the stalactite?!"

"It was a stalagmite, not a stalactite!" Mint coughed up a little water. "Urgh… help me up, would you?"

Apple helped Mint to his feet. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you!" Mint snapped. "Why'd you say it was a stalactite?!"

"Aren't stalactites the ones that grow from the ground?"

"Those are stalagmites! With a 'g' and an 'm! Stalactites are the ones that grow from the ceiling!" Mint walked over to the skateboard - but Apple was already sitting on it.

"Get off my skateboard," Mint ordered, irritated with the skateboard-jacker.

"No - I have to use it too," Apple pled. "I won't be able to pass if I don't!"

"Not my problem!"

Apple sat stubbornly on the skateboard. "Make me get off, then," he challenged.

"Gladly," Mint tipped his skateboard, and Apple fell. "Now I can-"

Even though Apple fell, he still held on to the skateboard. "You're not leaving without me," Apple promised. "I'm going to pass whether you like it or not!"

Mint grimaced. He had to get rid of Apple fast. "If you don't leave, I'll kill you." Not something he wanted to do again, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

"No." Apple remained steadfast. "I won't let you leave without me, and I won't let you kill me."

Mint huffed, before unsheathing his claws. "Let me give you a small taste, then." He ran one of the claws along some of Apple's bare skin.

A large laceration appeared, and Apple started bleeding, large drops of blood falling out.

"Did you see how easily I cut you? Do you think you'll be able to survive if I do it again?"

"No." But Apple still held on.

Mint groaned. Was he going to have to do this after all? "I'm not joking around, Apple. I'm going to kill you if you don't get off."

"If you wanted to kill me, you'd have done it already. All you've been doing is wasting both of our time."

For once, Apple was right. All sounds of the crowd had disappeared, and even the stragglers they had passed earlier were catching up. Mint didn't know how long the course was, but he didn't want to risk being disqualified in the first phase!

"Fine." Mint bit out. "You can stay, as long as you kick as well." They'd have to work hard to catch up.

Apple cheered. "Aye-aye, captain!"

Mint climbed up on to his skateboard. "Push!"

With several powerful kicks, Apple sent the skateboard rocketing forward.

"Careful!" Mint shouted at Apple, yet keeping his eyes firmly on the tunnel ahead. Then Mint's eyes widened. "Stalagmite! Lean left!"

"Aren't stalagmites the ones on the ceiling-"

"LEAN LEFT!"

Mint leaned left as hard as he could - and luckily, at the last second, so did Apple. The skateboard jerked to the side, and they narrowly missed the stalagmite.

"Be careful!" Mint warned. "Make sure not to hit anything - and if you do, I will kill you!" Mint made a small puncture wound in Apple's leg - nothing dangerous or even painful, just something to let Apple remember who was in charge - to punctuate the statement. "Got it?"

"Of course," Apple nodded, pushing hard nonetheless.

A few minutes later, they caught sight of the crowd once again. Mint sighed. "We made it. You can stop kicking." The crowd was still running, but more people were struggling now. There was much more room for them to duck and weave.

Apple stopped kicking. "Ugh… my leg hurts. Do you mind if I take a small rest?"

"As long as you make us go faster when I tell you to and listen to my orders, we'll get along just fine." Mint took a second to look back at Apple. "You doing alright?"

"Yeah." Apple stretched a little bit. "Do you have anything to eat?"

Oh, so now Apple wanted to eat his stuff! The nerve!

"Oh, yeah, I have something you can eat!" Mint reached into his bag and took out one of the bags of chips he'd previously opened - one that was now wet from the puddle. "Here!" Mint threw it at him.

Apple caught it. "Thanks!" He scarfed it down in one gulp.

… right, he was dealing with a Munchlax here.

Apple licked his lips. "Man, that was good - though, I'd have preferred it if you gave me some Blaziburn Barbeque chips instead."

Mint grew angry again - though for a completely different reason. "I gave you Sweet Swirlix Surprise! Are you saying you prefer Blaziburn Barbeque to Sweet Swirlix Surprise?!"

Apple scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Sweet Swirlix Surprise tastes like candy!"

"And what's wrong with that?!"

"They're chips!" Apple shouted back. "They're not supposed to taste like candy! They're supposed to be hot and salty, not weak and sugary!"

"SO?! EVERYTHING TASTES BETTER WHEN SWEET!" A few of the other participants were now staring at them.

"Yeah, but not chips!" Apple argued back. "Dried fruit are better sweet snacks than chips are - dried fruit! There isn't even any juice to them - they're just indigestible fruit-flavored bricks! But they're still better than sweet chips will ever be!"

"Oh, it's on…" Mint cracked his knuckles. "I'm going to show you exactly why Sweet Swirlix Surprise is better than Blaziburn Barbeque, any day of any week of any month of any year of all EXISTENCE!"

* * *

Apple and that Eevee guy (whatever his name was) were loud. As in, Violet could hear them from the front.

"Clarity, who is that guy?" Violet jutted a thumb at the Shiny Eevee. "And why are they on a skateboard… Seriously, Clarity?"

"Don't talk to me, I'm still building," Clarity snapped, pulling even more parts from her case and putting them together.

"It's been hours since you've started building that, how much longer is it going to take?" Violet snapped.

"I'm sorry, you try building something while you're running full-sprint for hours on end!" Clarity snapped back, heaving. "It'll only take a few more minutes, anyway!"

"You've said that for the last twenty minutes, Clarity!"

"Stalagmites are distracting, okay?!"

Once Clarity caught a glimpse of Apple and that Eevee riding a skateboard, she instantly got to work building a scooter, so that she could ride on it instead of torturing her legs even more than they already had been.

They had been running for five hours now, reaching the hundred-kilometer mark a small while back. Around the ten minute mark, Apple had reappeared (Violet was a little worried, Apple was nowhere near as fast as they were) on top of a skateboard with that Eevee. When Clarity saw that, she immediately got to work, both running as fast as she could and building a scooter to make it easier for her to run.

Others, upon seeing the two kids on the skateboard, decided to knock them off and take the board for themselves. That proved to be a fruitless endeavor - any attempts resulted in either a punch from Apple or a swipe across the face from the Eevee.

The swipes caused massive bleeding and the punches sent them flying into the wall with a nasty crack. Together, Apple and the Eevee caused at least five people to go unconscious. The others tended to avoid them after that.

Speaking of the others, they weren't doing too well. Most of the other participants were incredibly tired, and flagging considerably. A third of the original five-hundred (Violet had made a quick headcount) had already dropped out, their bodies giving out from exertion or mental strain.

After all, they had been running for five hours already, with no food or drinkable water anywhere. A couple of thirsty participants already tried to drink the water in the pools that were forming, only to find that they were saltwater, and therefore undrinkable.

With no food, no breaks in this near-perpetual sprint, and no knowledge of when exactly they would finally finish and arrive at the second exam site, weak-hearted people just gave up and stopped when it grew too much for them to handle.

By now, for the most part, all of the physically unfit, the ill, anyone who didn't have the necessary body to become an Explorer had dropped. And now some of the healthy and active people were dropping out, the strain and exertion still far too much for their bodies.

Given that Audino were hardly members of the most physically fit species, Violet had half-expected Clarity to give up by now. But instead, upon seeing the skateboard and the determination of everyone else to get it, Clarity grew a new fire in her eyes and started building a scooter.

"And… it's… done!" Clarity jumped in glee, before hopping on to the scooter. "Look at this, Violet! Fully automated to avoid obstacles too, so I can relax!" Clarity then collapsed.

"Clarity?!" Clarity didn't respond, barely holding onto the scooter as it drove.

"So… tired…"

A couple of participants noticed Clarity on her scooter and grew devilish smirks on their faces. Violet narrowed her eyes.

"Not on my watch, cretins!"

A couple of Passimian jumped at the scooter, intent on shoving Clarity off and hijacking her scooter all for themselves. Or at least, they tried to before Violet smashed a few Metal Claws into their faces. That's right, measly old Metal Claws.

She wasn't going to take these guys seriously.

"Clarity, get your butt off the scooter right now!" Violet ordered.

"Huminawha?"

A third Passimian, from behind, came in for the attack. Violet twisted around and smashed another Metal Claw in their face.

"Clarity, get up!"

"But… I'm tired…"

Then the three Passimjan attacked in tandem, two holding Violet down while the third leaped for the scooter.

"Clarity!"

The Passimian grabbed onto to the scooter.

"AUTOMATIC DEFENSE SYSTEM ENGAGED. PASSIMIAN DETECTED. REPEL. REPEL. REPEL."

The scooter began to glow a cherry red.

"Graaaagh!" The Passimian shouted, hands burned. Clarity jumped up in pain.

"Yeowch!" Clarity rubbed a burned belly. "I want to relax for three minutes, and this is what I get?!"

"Clarity, we're in the middle of an exam!"

Clarity groaned. "Of course." Clarity coughed. "If ANYONE wants to steal my scooter, then be my guest - because it has more defenses than just burning people!"

Nobody responded, and instead shied slightly away from the scooter. The Passimian went far, far away from Clarity and her scooter.

Clarity slumped over the top of the scooter. "Violet, make sure I'm going in the right direction, okay?"

"Clarity, you aren't going to sleep again," Violet ordered.

"Violet, I'm exhausted," Clarity complained, head bowed over the scooter as they turned the corner. "I've been running for five hours bow, and I've been building too! Cut me some slack!"

"Clarity, stairs!"

Clarity's eyes shot wide open. In front of them, a large flight of stairs loomed above them, towering menacingly.

"You're…" Clarity gaped.

"Clarity, get off the scooter!" Violet shouted. "You have to start running again!"

Then Clarity did something unexpected.

She smiled.

"Pogo mode, activate!"

A spring popped out of the bottom of the scooter.

Violet's jaw dropped.

"You have got to be kidding me." But her eyes weren't deceiving her - and with a whirring of gears, Clarity's scooter turned into a pogo stick. And with a few bounces, Clarity started climbing the stairs three at a time.

Violet started bounding up the stairs as fast as she could, nowhere near out of breath. "Clarity, why did you install a pogo stick into your scooter?!"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"BUT WHY A POGO STICK?!"

Clarity shrugged. "I had the strangest intuition, and it's not like a pogo stick is hard to make. Though, integrating it with everything else took around fifteen minutes or so."

Violet was left dumbstruck. Then she started laughing. "Clarity, that's amazing!" Not as amazing as she was, but certainly a better mechanic and inventor than any she's ever seen.

Clarity smiled. "Everybody says that - my father told me that I'm a prodigy at it. He said that, if I wanted to, the richest people in the world could come to my doorstep, begging me to build things for them."

Violet raised an eyebrow.

"He told me that when I was ten. I was over the moon about it, too - I told him that I was going to be the best mechanic in the world, a 'super-inventor'" Clarity had a rueful smile on her face.

Then Violet remembered something.

"Clarity, if you wanted to be a 'super-inventor', then why are you looking for the Panacea?"

Clarity was silent as she pogoed up the stairs. "It's none of your business," she finally said. "Dreams die and new ones spring from the ashes."

"Clarity, look at yourself. You nearly broke yourself trying to make that… thing. This isn't just any old dream!"

Clarity looked at Violet with anger. "I told you that it's none of your business. Stop being so nosy!"

"Clarity, stop being so stubborn!" Violet seethed. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because it's private and personal! I've known you for five days - and we're competing for the title of Explorer!" Clarity argued in anger. "How dumb would I have to be to give you that kind of ammunition?!"

"..."

Clarity glared at Violet.

"... Clarity," Violet started saying. "I can see that this is a touchy subject, but-"

"But nothing!" Clarity interrupted. "What I want with the Panacea is none of your business!"

Then Violet realized.

"Clarity, who died?"

Clarity's anger froze.

Her hunch, of course, was right.

"Clarity, bottling these things up isn't good for you." Violet sighed. "Someone died of some illness or other malaise, didn't they? A family member… a close friend…"

"Enough, Violet." Violet shut up. "It's… if I tell you, make sure to tell no one else. No examiner, not Apple, nobody."

"My lips are sealed."

Clarity got off her pogo stick and started running again with Violet. Clarity leaned in close to whisper to Violet.

"Violet, have you ever heard of the Corrosion? And I'm not talking about the Salandit line's ability."

Violet frowned. "No, I don't think I have, sorry." She grimaced. "Is it well known, or-"

"If you look for it in a textbook, Violet," Clarity interrupted. "You won't be able to find it. If you do, it'll be under 'illness hoaxes' or 'medical superstitions' or something like that. It isn't categorizable."

"What do you mean?"

"The Corrosion attacks randomly. It isn't contagious. No one will know you have it until you're already dying from it. Supposedly, one person dies from it per day. Nothing remains afterward."

Violet furrowed her brow. "That doesn't sound like an illness, though."

"It is an illness, though. One day, the Corrosion struck a doctor's son. Antibiotics or anything like it didn't work. But when the doctor examined his son's blood with a microscope, he found little pathogens - disease-bringers - in his body."

"Couldn't that have been some other disease?"

"That was the alternative theory until the Corrosion struck again, this time against a doctor, across the world from the first, directly. Once the doctor analyzed their blood, they found the same pathogen. Nobody has seen the pathogen for any other disease - it has to be the Corrosion."

"But then why is it superstition?"

"Think about it, Violet. It attacks once a day, across the entire world? Nothing remains? It isn't contagious?" Clarity let out a haunting laugh. "What kind of a disease is that? What respectable person or medical professional would believe you?"

"Then… how do you know this much about the Corrosion, Clarity?"

"Well, after I made it my goal to destroy or cure the Corrosion, whatever it is, I needed to do some research on it. My mom is a nurse - she had some research friends from her time in college to dig things up for me."

Then Clarity started laughing darkly again. "But what I wanted most of all was something useful - something I could use to help those afflicted. There's nothing - the Corrosion is a death knell. It rips your skin away, boils your blood, and rends your flesh to pieces. Only the legendary Panacea, the legendary and miraculous cure-all… if it exists… could maybe stop the Corrosion."

There was a faraway, haunted look in Clarity's eyes as she spoke of the Corrosion. One that suggested personal experience.

"Who was it, Clarity? Who was it that died from the Corrosion?"

"..."

"..."

"... w-we were the closest pair you could find. Attached to the hip. And then, one day… for no reason… she shouldn't have died!"

The last part came out in a guttural gasp. Tiny tears started forming on the corners of Clarity's eyes.

"Tag… it was just tag! She fell over and scraped her knee. I tried healing it, b-but… but then… her skin and fur started just flying away… like dust in the wind."

Clarity then threw up. A participant behind her slipped on it.

"I hate remembering that day, Violet. Her crimson flesh, the red mist escaping her nostrils… her screams, the weak, pained screams… her legs falling off."

Clarity threw up again.

"You… you should stop, Clarity."

"Her skin, when it wasn't turning into dust, was shriveling like a raisin. Her hair… it bleached and fell out, leaving pores of bleeding mist behind… and when she wasn't anything bigger than a speck of sand… "

"Clarity. Please, stop."

"There was nothing wrong with her. No unusual illnesses. No unusual health. No indicators, predictors, symptoms. It can happen to anyone, and there's nothing I can do to stop it with what meager healing powers I have."

Clarity wiped her mouth. "So, Violet. Now, do you understand why I have to do this? Why the Panacea is my last hope? Why I need to become an Explorer?"

"I… don't want to," Violet said honestly. "Not anymore."

Clarity laughed without mirth. "If you said you did or you wanted to, you'd have been a liar. Anyone who sees the Corrosion will wish they never had."

There was a prescient silence.

"So, why do you want to become an Explorer, Violet?" Clarity asked, trying to change the subject dearly. "Have you figured out what you're going to look for?"

Violet shook her head, eager to get away from what Clarity had said. "No, not yet," she admitted. "I'm going to become an Explorer before I decide to choose my target. My target will be suitably large and impressive, of course."

"I doubt you don't have anything in mind, Violet. You've been running as far and fast as I have been. You have to have some reason for going this far."

"I'm telling you, Clarity," Violet insisted. "I don't have anything in mind just yet."

Clarity looked at her skeptically.

"... well… there is one thing I'm curious about," Violet admitted. "It's not that big or important, but it's a little mystery I haven't been able to solve yet."

Violet lifted her scarf to reveal a small image of a sword. It was deep purple and finely defined.

"A… tattoo?" Clarity scratched her head. "How is that mysterious?"

"Clarity, I was born with this. I never had it inked or anything like that. It's not a birthmark either - it's too clean and symmetrical for that." Violet huffed. "I don't know what it is. I have some small theories, but…"

"But what?"

"Well, now's not the time to tell you about it." Violet gestured around then, at the participants who were running. "I don't want to give them a possible advantage."

Clarity narrowed her eyes.

"If you stick around me for long enough, I suspect that you'll find out, Clarity," Violet answered.

Clarity hummed. "Alright, then." She pulled out her pogo stick again and started jumping.

The image of that was still rather odd to Violet, so she looked away from Clarity - she didn't need Violet to watch over her right now.

Throughout their climb up the ridiculously high flight of stairs, the altitude had changed. A strange pressure was being applied to their legs, from the side. It was both pleasant and painful, for reasons Violet didn't care to deduce.

Many other participants had already given up, littering the stairs beneath them. They knew that the stairs would be too difficult to climb or their bodies fell out from underneath them.

Only those that were exceptionally fit remained - unless you were riding a vehicle like Clarity and Apple were.

Then Violet's eyes widened, as she came to a small realization. Apple and the Eevee guy were skating when the road was straight and level, but there were stairs now. How were they…

… Violet fought to keep her jaw from falling again.

Apple and the Eevee were still on the skateboard - even with the stairs, that hadn't changed. But instead…

Violet bounded up to the bouncing Clarity and tapped her shoulder "Clarity, look up!"

"What?"

"Clarity, look up!"

"What do you mean, 'look up'? What's up… there…" Clarity started gaping.

Apple and that Eevee were no longer on the ground. Instead, they continued riding the skateboard… on the ceiling, going fast enough to keep them attached.

"They're insane!" Clarity continued staring at the two. "They're riding a skateboard on the ceiling."

Violet chose not to mention the fact that Clarity was riding a pogo stick up the stairs."

"And they're still talking about comic books!" Clarity seethed. "I can't understand how someone can spend three and a half hours talking about who would win between Mewman and the Crash."

"The Crash, easily." Violet quickly answered.

Clarity looked at Violet in askance, then panicked fury. "Violet, don't you dare get into that argument."

"Okay, okay… " Violet looked away from Apple and the Eevee's arguments on the ceiling, and instead looked at the other participants.

The participants that hadn't given up yet, or were visibly flagging, were rare and far apart. There was a Gallade that was carrying three semi-attractive females - a bit of a show-off in Violet's opinion. That weird mannequin-like Pokémon - Kitakura - didn't have a set running or climbing style, the limb pushing off the ground being randomized.

A couple of other Pokémon paying attention to Apple and the Eevee, as well as the instructor, decided to use the rest of the tunnel to their advantage as well. Bug-types used the walls to continue running, as opposed to the harder task of climbing the stairs. Flying-types couldn't fly - that was for certain, as the stalactites prevented them from going too fast.

But instead of hovering or just climbing the steps like the rest, they created large gusts of wind behind them - Tailwinds - to speed them up as they flapped close to the stairs, allowing them to keep up with the rest of the participants.

Violet looked more closely around. This was her competition - this was what it meant to be an Explorer. Being exceptional was necessary and being creative doubly so. There were three hundred or so participants left from the tens of thousands that signed up on the application forms.

Then something made Violet squint, and then smile with glee. There, a kilometer of stairs above them, beamed sunlight.

The sight of the exit of the tunnel galvanized everyone on the stairs. A stampede started as everyone rushed to get to the exit first - no one knew how many would be cut off if they were too slow.

"Violet, Clarity!" Apple and the Eevee were waving to him. "Race you to the finish line!"

Then, half a second later, Apple and the Eevee sped up the skateboard even more somehow, going at a breakneck speed.

It took Violet a second to comprehend what Apple had shouted at her. But then Clarity pressed a button on her pogo stick, causing tiny rockets to make her jump ten steps at a time.

Violet was not going to lose.

"One… two… three… AAARRRGGGHHH!" Violet charged a Quick Attack in her legs. "I'LL BE THE FIRST!"

The four of them - Violet, Clarity, Apple, and the Eevee - were neck and neck in the race to the exit. In front of them, Desta stood, standing at the exit.

Violet jumped from stalagmites to stalagmites and back again, to gain better footing than the stairs would provide. Each leap was a Quick Attack, a blink of the eye to everyone else.

Violet's legs were burning with pain, but she forced herself to go faster and faster. There was no chance she would lose this.

Then, a minute later, Violet touched the sunlight.

"I… WON!" Violet screamed as she crossed the threshold to the outside world. She could feel her eyes burn purple, as they usually did when she took a challenge seriously.

Then she collapsed exhausted. Half a second later, Apple and the Eevee landed in a heap, a dented skateboard landing next to them.

"You're paying for that," the Eevee said immediately, getting to his feet.

Apple rubbed his head in embarrassment. "Sorry."

*BOING*

Clarity landed next to them, her pogo stick transforming into a scooter once more.

"I lost?!" Clarity harrumphed. "I should have made the pogo jumps bigger." She immediately sat down, resting her legs. "I'll fix it later. Desta, who won?"

Desta pointed at Violet. "She did."

"Naturally," Violet said, smiling. "As if I'd lose to you guys."

"You were losing," the Eevee unhelpfully pointed out. "Then Apple and I decided to relax for half a second, and we bumped into a stalactite, spiraled out of control and lost the sizable lead we-"

"Like I said, naturally," Violet emphasized, as Desta turned to the crowd that was arriving at the entrance. "And I did it without the help of a skateboard or mechanized scooter-pogo… whatever that thing is."

The Eevee, though, stopped looking at her (which incensed her for some unknown reason) and instead walked over to the scooter. "What is this thing?"

"Oh, this? It's a… well, I haven't given it a name yet," Clarity admitted.

"Mind if I take it off your hands?" The Eevee only barely grabbed it before the scooter glowed red-hot. The Eevee quickly withdrew his paw before it burned him. "Never mind."

Clarity snickered.

"Haha, laugh it up," the Eevee snarked.

Clarity's snickers fell away to a smile. "Pay me… I don't know, twenty thousand berries, and I'll give it to you."

"Five thousand."

"Fifteen thousand."

"Eight thousand."

"Twelve thousand and your old skateboard."

"My old skateboard?"

"Your old skateboard."

"Fine. Eleven thousand and my old skateboard."

"Eleven thousand, your old skateboard, and you wait until the exam finishes. Final offer"

The Eevee raised an eyebrow. "Until the exam finishes?"

Clarity tapped a small button on the side of her scooter. With a small whirr, small machines appeared on the scooter's side.

"Do you know how hard it was to find these things on Raliter Island? I won't be able to get any more rocket thrusters until-"

"ROCKET THRUSTERS?!" Apple shouted in glee.

The Eevee crept as close as he could to the scooter and looked at the tiny machines at its side. "Holy T- those _are_ rocket thrusters!"

"Yeah, so I'll have to wait until the exam ends for me to sell you this thing… unless you're no longer-"

"I'll take it!" Mint instantly said. "All I have to do is wait for you to fail, right?"

Clarity narrowed her eyes. "You mean, for me to pass, right?"

"Of course - for you to pass!"

Clarity was silent for a second as the Eevee smiled unconvincingly. Then she sighed. "Fine - but remember, the deadline is when the exam ends - nothing to do with me. You aren't getting the scooter any earlier."

The Eevee was crestfallen. Then he sighed.

"You drive a hard bargain, Clarity." The Eevee stuck out a paw. "So it's a deal?"

Clarity shook his hand. "It's a deal."

"Great." The Eevee turned back to Apple. "Looks like I'll hang around for a while longer, Apple. I need to make sure she doesn't accidentally die before the exam ends."

"Wait, you think I'm going to die-"

"Anyway, Violet, Clarity, my name is Mint. Nice to meet you."

Violet harrumphed, before imperiously sticking out a hand. "As you may already know, my name is Violet Kain. It's a pleasure to meet you too."

"Kain? As in the Kain clan, the ones with the glowing purple eyeballs?"

Apple raised an eyebrow. "Glowing purple eyeballs?"

"Yes to both, and it's complicated." Violet waved them off. "More importantly, how do you know who we are?"

Mint pointed to Apple. "He wouldn't shut up about you two. It got annoying quickly."

"Sorry," Apple said bashfully.

"May I have your attention please?" Desta asked over the milling crowd, the attention of all present participants straying over to him. "The first phase of the Explorer Exam has now concluded!"

Desta climbed to the top of the entrance that led back underground and punched it. One small landslide and a blocked entrance later, Desta turned back to the participants.

"It is now time for Phase 1.5!"

Phase 1.5?

There was a discontent murmuring at this. A couple of participants looked suspiciously at Desta.

"We have yet to arrive at the second phase," Desta continued. "However, before we continue onward to the site, there is one last thing I must disclose to you. You are all aware of the purpose of Explorers, yes?"

Silence.

"The purpose of Explorers," Desta said. "Is to scavenge the Earth to find the object of their heart's desire. The innovations and wonders Explorers reintroduce to the world multiply the overall growth of the international economy. However, there is another purpose to the existence of Explorers - the demolition of Mystery Dungeons."

As Desta spoke, a couple of participants shifted nervously. Many of them were looking at Desta with uncomprehension.

"The purpose for this is assumed to be done completely out of either self-interest for the treasures inside the Mystery Dungeons - those pulled in as bait - or as an act of charity. It is for neither of the two purposes, however - rather, it is to prevent Mystery Dungeons from encroaching on civilization."

"For all of these, however, it is necessary to be able to clear a Dungeon in the first place. I'm sure I don't have to explain what Phase 1.5 is."

Desta turned to the forest that stretched out. before them. It then occurred to Violet that there weren't any forests like this on Raliter Island.

"If you fall unconscious, a team of Explorers will be sent to rescue you before you are assimilated or turned feral. If you die, your corpse will be expelled from the Dungeon. A team of highly skilled psychics will prevent the Dungeon from disappearing upon being cleared and from scaling its difficulty to match our number."

"If there is anyone who wishes to quit, now is the time to let me know. This is a necessity to pass the exam."

There was a dark silence at this, which extended for an uncomfortable time.

"Very well, then. I suppose nobody will-"

"Y-you're joking, right?!" A voice shouted. The crowd parted slightly to show a Vigoroth. "Like _hell_ I'm going in there!"

Desta looked solemn. "I must apologize, but going into the Dungeon is required to pass the exam."

"To hell with the exam!" The Vigoroth seethed. "If becoming an Explorer means I have to go inside those abominations again, then you can count me out. I quit!"

Desta didn't say anything for a short while, and just simply looked at the Vigoroth. "Very well. If that is your choice, then so be it. Are there any others that want to quit? This is your last chance."

A couple of seconds passed. Then a Quilava raised their hand, looking ashamed. "I quit. I don't think I can handle a Mystery Dungeon."

One by one, the other participants also raised their hands, the fear of Mystery Dungeons finally showing itself.

Nobody is quite sure where Mystery Dungeons come from or when they came into existence. They take over abandoned land and feed on the energy within. They use any people that wander into their territory as food, capturing and assimilating them and their energy.

You could be rescued, of course, before you died - but that would need someone to come and rescue you, bringing you an Escape Orb or just clearing the Dungeon with you. Going into the Dungeon, though, puts you in the same danger.

Naturally, people avoid the Dungeons - but some fall for the Dungeon's bait of treasure, which they create as a temptation for the greedy. Even Explorers will enter a Dungeon unnecessarily if there is a strong enough lure.

All in all, thirty people quit, looking at the forest Desta had pointed to with trepidation and fear. No one could truly blame them.

"If you have decided to leave and abstain from taking the exam," Desta explained. "It will be your responsibility to return to civilization. We are currently twelve kilometers off the east coast of Provell, 134.56-214.42 in Secratesian coordinates. I am no longer your examiner - I hope you gather enough courage to try again next year."

There were a few solemn nods, and the participants got ready to leave.

"Hold on!" A loud voice tore through the silence. There was a large rustling in the bushes, before a Linoone appeared out of the forest, battered and bruised with several injuries on him. "He's not the real examiner - I am!"

"W-what?" The Vigoroth from earlier shouted, looking between the two. "What are you talking about?!"

The Linoone pointed a shaky claw at the unmoving Desta. "I'm the real examiner, and there's no 'partial phase' in this exam! He's just an Angler!"

Violet's eyes narrowed. There was something … off about the whole situation. Her aura senses were coming up positive for the Linoone… but they were also coming up positive for Desta.

If he _was_ an Angler…

Apple coughed, nudging Clarity's side. "Uh… what's an Angler?"

"They're lures. They're constructs a Dungeon makes to draw people in and trap them inside itself. They can go outside of the Dungeon and pretend that they're actual people."

There was silence at what the Linoone said. Desta said nothing, only impassively looking on at the crowd.

"It's your decision," Desta said, shrugging. "Who will you believe - him, or me?"

"Him, of course!"

The Vigoroth from earlier pointed an accusatory finger at Desta. "What kind of idiot would we have to be to go along with you? You're telling us to go inside a Dungeon - we all know that a Dungeon scales its difficulty to the number of people that go inside."

"We have psychics at the ready to ensure that it won't grow to an untenable difficulty, Number 44."

"That's so obviously a lie that even a Bidoof could see through it." The Vigoroth walked over and fed the Linoone a Sitrus Berry. Soon, the Linoone was able to stand. "Look - Anglers can't eat food, but he can!"

Desta just raised an eyebrow.

*SHLUNK*

The Vigoroth stared as a tiny pencil pierced his abdomen. Next to him, the Linoone was pierced by a pencil. Both of them fell to the floor and crumbled to dust.

Desta twirled the pencil thrown at him around. "May I ask why you did that, Mr. White?"

The crowd parted to reveal an apathetic White, holding several pencils in his hand.

"I wished to see how fast an Angler could react to an attack. From what I saw, it wasn't fast at all." White shrugged. "I threw one at you for insurance."

Desta tossed the pencil back to White. "If you attack me again, for whatever reason, you will be disqualified."

"Alright." White licked his lips.

Desta turned to the crowd. "For those wondering how Mr. White knew they were Anglers, the Vigoroth had Mr. White's identification number of 44. These numbers are based on the order of arrival when arriving at the exam site, so there could only be one. Most likely, the Angler Linoone and Vigoroth would have led you all to a non-controlled, dangerous Mystery Dungeon. All of you would have been none the wiser until it was too late."

The Quilava who was second to quit was pale, and he looked at the dust on the wind. Violet could sense exactly what he was feeling - the shame of being the first person to be tricked.

"What I said still stands - you can quit right now. I will not hold it against you. But there are other Mystery Dungeons in this area, and you will not know you're approaching a Mystery Dungeon until you are already inside. The decision is yours."

Desta walked to the Thickening Forest. Everyone else followed.

* * *

The Thickening Forest wasn't that bad, in all honesty - the piles of rainbow dust were extremely relaxing in their unique way. If you'd listened to the warnings everyone gave about the Mystery Dungeons, you'd think that they would have swallowed you whole and digested you. Instead, the Mystery Dungeons had convenient staircases on every floor, showing where you and your companions should go next.

Of course, that might just be because of Violet's overwhelming capability. Naturally, she would be able to take on any challenge and surpass it with flying colors. And this Mystery Dungeon was no exception.

Violet couldn't check on any other participants, either. Once they had all entered the Thickening Forest, some strange mysterious force separated them all into individuals, forcing them to go through the Dungeon alone.

But they weren't separated for the entirety of the Dungeon - Violet had already seen some of the other participants. More than a few were heavily injured and bleeding heavily from deep wounds, as the apparitions inside the Thickening Forest were going for the kill. Violet considered lending a hand to save them, but they always died before Violet could make up her mind. After they died, the corpses were rejected from the Dungeon.

At that point, the apparitions started going after her, the teeth of Rattata and the claws of Zigzagoon seeking strong flesh. Violet was able to easily dispatch them - she didn't even need to go seriously on them, all she had to do was just punch them around a bit with some Metal Claws before they disappeared into nothingness - but she was worried a little bit over her friends' state of affairs.

She was competent, most likely the strongest fighter here, but she didn't know how well Apple or Clarity could fight. She saw neither in an actual battle before (ignoring the incident with the Gyarados, in which those two mostly just tried to stay alive while she did all of the hard work) - for all she knew, when they ended up on the opposing end of the claw, they'd fall to pieces quickly.

Violet sighed, then wished for them to have some good luck. They'd be able to make it through the Dungeon - she knew they would.

"Stupid! Damn! Sticks!" Then Violet heard a familiar shout, and smiled.

"Hey, Clarity!" Violet quickly started searching around for the origin of the voice, extending her aura senses. Of course, they weren't that strong under the obstructing influence of the Dungeon, but while they were limited, they weren't useless. Soon, Violet followed a small path that led her to an amusing sight.

Clarity was busy stomping around, with several large twigs lodged deep inside the wheels of her scooter. Clarity was pulling the sticks out one by one while cursing at the machine.

"Hey, Clarity!" Violet ran up to the fuming Clarity. "How's it going?"

Clarity huffed. "Violet, help me pull these sticks out of the scooter." Clarity strained a bit, before pulling a particularly large stick out of the spokes of the wheel. Unfortunately, her jostling the scooter in the process meant that three additional sticks accidentally jammed their way into the machine.

"Oh, come _on_!" Clarity kicked it. "I spend _four hours _making this piece of art, and some _sticks _are what causes it to fall apart?"

"Nice to see you too, Clarity," Violet snarked.

Clarity growled, eyes burning. "Sorry, I've just spent the last ten minutes trying to clear this damn scooter of all of the trash stuck inside it - as you can see, I'm not exactly in the best mood right now!"

Clarity then swung the heavy scooter over her shoulder. "Let's get a move on, Violet. The faster we get out of here, the faster I can get some tools to properly disassemble this thing and take out all of the debris from the crash." They started back through the path.

"You crashed?"

"Well, when a Trevenant suddenly smashes a log into your scooter, that kind of thing happens, Violet!" Clarity sighed. "And even though the scooter's defense systems gave it a nasty burn, I still can't help but think that this much log debris shouldn't make my scooter this USELESS!"

The Mystery Dungeon constructs were surprisingly intelligent, Violet had to admit. They used a couple of basic strategies against her - anyone who wasn't on their guard and sufficiently experienced with tactics would die.

"The Trevenant fell to the scooter?"

"No, but the burn made it retreat. I didn't think these things had survival instincts."

"Maybe the Trevenant took a lot of energy for the Dungeon to create - then it would want to keep it alive for as long as possible."

"No, survival instincts are inside their DNA - I could see the dungeon increasing their aggression, but not complete mind control to the point of removing the desire to survive." Clarity countered.

"Clarity, the Dungeon can alter their DNA at will - it made them," Violet argued back. "It doesn't need to put survival instincts in the DNA in the first place!"

"Then why doesn't it mutate the creatures based on who's fighting it?" Clarity countered again. "Wouldn't it be smarter to put Flying-type DNA in a construct than Water-type when it's fighting a Grass-type? If the Dungeon could mix and match DNA as you said, it could easily do that."

"It needs Flying-type DNA in the first place to do something like that, Clarity!"

Clarity groaned. "That's not the point."

Violet was about to say something else before Clarity put a hand over her mouth. "Shhhh!"

Violet narrowed her eyes, before extending her aura senses. There was something distinctly wrong about their situation. Something about the readings... they looked perfectly alright, but an instinct told her that there was something the sense wasn't telling her, something that she should desperately know before-

"DUCK!" Both Violet and Clarity shouted, immediately crouching down as a small claw scratched over their heads. The two of them immediately jumped back as a swipe of a Zoroark claw slashed over them.

"Impressive reflexes," the Zoroark noted before smiling. "Let's see how well you do."

Violet's instincts were screaming at her to run, run, RUN!

Then she saw a fine mist of blood in the air, and a warm sensation filled her arm. She looked down to see long, deep cuts line her limbs.

Then they exploded, in pain, and it took all Violet had to not scream in agony. Clarity stepped back, fearful.

"Poor instincts - I left that telegraphed and all." White - for it couldn't be any others - noted. "I'm expecting this to take... ten seconds."

"Wh...why?" Clarity asked, staring at Violet's wounds. "We were just... passing..."

A small degree of bloodlust entered the air, as Violet started shivering slightly.

"I've noticed the deplorable state of the participants this year, even though they number higher than last year," White casually explained, wiping the blood off his claws. "So I've decided to cut down a few of their numbers, here and now, to make the rest of this exam far more exciting. You're more competent than the fighters I've seen before, but nowhere near my standards."

Then there was a splash of blood in the air, and Clarity's eyes widened. She soon saw blood dribbling down her front, as tearful wounds bled plentifully.

"So I'll make this quick, then," White continued carelessly as the two of them, bleeding profusely, looked on in trepidation and horror, blood leaking out of them quickly. Violet's blood was on fire, but her mind was as frozen as a winter lakebed. She knew that they had to escape - to run - but she was rooted to the spot.

"Die, White!" There was an echoing shout in the Dungeon. White slowly turned around, finding a Beedrill flying toward him at top speed with two drilling hands.

White stepped out of the way of the attack, and the Beedrill only barely managed to avoid hitting Violet and Clarity. Violet and Clarity were rooted in their spots, and could only watch as the Beedrill swerved to avoid them.

The Beedrill didn't slow down, though - instead, he turned around to face White. "White, I've finally tracked you down! You will die here today!" The Beedrill shouted, raising his drills.

"Who are you?" White asked, raising an eyebrow.

That only served to enrage the Beedrill. "You killed my son!" He howled, before charging at White again.

White easily dodged the second attack. "You'll have to be more specific."

The Beedrill just howled, attempting to stab White with his drills. "You won't escape this time!"

"Escape?" White seemed genuinely bemused.

"You've been on the run for the last six months - my son was a participant in this exam, and he was one of several you murdered! You can escape from the long arm of justice, but not from me!"

White scratched his head, easily dodging the drill stabs from the Beedrill. "I don't understand," White said. "If you were so keen on killing me, why not do it earlier? I stood in one spot for days, at the entrance of the exam site. You had all the time in the world for your little 'revenge plot' - why not enact it?"

"Graagh! Shut UP!"

Then White grinned. "Oh, you're one of them, aren't you?" Then White swiped once. With a small slice, the Beedrills wings were clipped. He fell to the floor, only barely managing to stay on his legs. "A coward."

Then White kicked him to the ground.

White frowned. "Though, if you were so afraid, then why didn't you just run away?" White asked, perplexed.

"I'm not afraid - I've come here to kill you! You won't kill anyone else ever again!"

White smiled. "And there it is... thank you for satisfying my curiosity. You're dismissed." White slashed at the Beedrill's throat, decapitating him in a single stroke.

There was a small silence in the clearing, now that the Beedrill's drills were no longer turning.

"He was sentimental," White said, after ten seconds or so. "Came to the exam prepared to kill me, but couldn't pluck up the courage to do so... not until he saw history repeating itself." White shrugged. "A bit better than the average avenger."

White pulled out a small notebook. "It might be useful later." He quickly scribbled something down, before stuffing it into his bag.

Something in Violet snapped. The next thing she knew, her legs were pumping furiously, running away as fast as they could. Within seconds, she had escaped into one of the side corridors that the room led away from.

Three, four, five corridors? Violet didn't know how many - all she knew was that she had to run away as fast as she could. She had to survive, and if she stuck around she wouldn't have been able to do that for any longer than four or five seconds.

Hopefully, she would be able to put enough distance between herself and White and Clarity could heal them up enough to..."

"... Clarity... "

... could she survive as long as it took to get out of the Mystery Dungeon? If she was lucky, she might be able to make it, but it would be difficult with the open wounds White had casually inflicted on her.

She could make it...

... if she ran away...

... and left Clarity behind.

...

...

...

"... no..." Violet reached into her bag and pulled out her mirror. On it, she found a frightened Riolu... not herself.

Violet gripped the mirror with as tight a grasp as she could, before running back through the corridors.

"How could I?!" Violet raged out loud, as she pumped her legs hard. She wasn't a coward - she was no weakling. And no true Kain would let a friend die.

It had been thirty seconds since she had run away. Chances were that Clarity was dead by White's ruby claws. But if there was a chance - any chance - that Clarity was alive... then Violet was going to rescue her.

Violet burst through, back to where she had run away from.

Clarity was bleeding, but her eyes were open, filled with fire. White was smiling.

"You have surprising endurance," he complimented Clarity. "I have to admit, I enjoyed this." White pulled out his sapphire pen. "So let's finish this while the energy's high."

"You're not finishing anything, White!"

White sighed, before slowly turning around. "Oh... you." White frowned. "I'm in the middle of something. If you could leave and bleed out somewhere else, that would be far more beneficial to both of us."

Despite the gut-spilling fear seeping into Violet's heart, she grinned.

"Like I care." Violet gripped her mirror. "Clarity's not going to die any time soon, and not at your hands - not if I'm around. And I'll stick by her - you can swear your life on that!"

"And if I don't?" White prompted.

Violet ignored him. "You wanted to get this over with, right? Then let's get this over with. It's been a while since I've fought seriously, after all."

Violet tossed her mirror up and down. Then, on the third toss, it shone. In her hand fell a mauve blade - a sword befitting royalty. Violet gripped it tight, her eyes glowing a sharp purple.

White smiled. "Ah... you're from the Kain, right? They've been holding onto that for so long, so I can't imagine why they'd send someone with the Mirror to a dangerous place like this exam." White twirled his pen in his hand. "Show me your swordsmanship, then."

"Gladly."

Violet jumped forward, a three-slash form at the ready. White parried all of them with his pen. Violet then rolled under him and spun around, aiming for his legs. White jumped over her with a somersault, slashing at her back with his azure pen.

"Grgghh..." Violet gritted her teeth as she rolled forward and balanced on her hand, before landing on her feet.

"Better than the Beedrill, I'll tell you that," White twirled his pen on the tip of his claw slowly. "Try harder."

Violet threw the mirrorblade in the air and went for a couple of slow punches. White dodged them all easily, stabbing her a few times with his pen.

Then Violet jumped, caught her spinning sword, and cut off White's bead.

The battle fell to silence.

"I have to admit," White finally said. "You fight harder than most do. Usually, they just fall like dominoes. But you've bought enough time for your friend to heal." White pointed to Clarity, who froze, healing energy in her hand and half her wounds gone. "I don't see myself finishing this at a comfortable pace, so let's speed things up."

White started glowing. In his place appeared a Rhydon.

"What the..." Violet started saying before she felt a sharp punch hit the side of the temple. Violet rolled to her feet brandishing her sword. "What did you just do?!"

Then the Rhydon kicked her, and Violet felt a sharp pain break open her shin.

Violet rolled away, only to find a Jolteon quickly running up to her, fangs bared. Violet ducked, but the Jolteon spun on the spot and lunged at her.

Violet attempted to slash it in half, but then it disappeared into thick smoke. Violet then felt something crack her back. She fell to the floor, coughing up thick blood.

"It's remarkable how stupid the other Zoroark are," White remarked, walking up to Violet. "They use illusions on themselves to take advantage of preconceived notions of strengths, ignoring something very basic - position."

Violet slashed at White - but he too disappeared into thin air. In his place, a large Druddigon appeared, slashing at Violet.

Violet cringed but didn't dodge, knowing it was just an illusion. So she was wholly unprepared for the slash - the illusion - to connect.

Violet's back arched as she screamed in pain. "Yeeeeaaarrggggh!" She attempted a feeble slash at the Druddigon, only for it to disappear into smoke as well.

"Illusion or not, attacks are attacks. Distance, position - where I am - is unknown to you. Is it a complete illusion? Is it just overlaying where I am? Is it a mix? What do you think it is now?"

A Braviary swooped at her, and Violet slashed at it - but her sword passed completely through. White, hidden behind her, punched the back of her head, sending her sprawling to the ground.

White was messing with her - if she couldn't even tell what was an illusion or not, then he could control where she slashed. He could attack without risk while she was preoccupied with the illusions he created. The flow of battle belonged to him and him alone.

Within thirty seconds, the relatively even fight turned into her gasping for life and air while White lounged above her.

"So, Violet." White twirled a pen in hand as he watched a weakened Violet struggle to stand, wounds littering the canvas of her body. "I think it's about time we ended this. I've found the staircase already, yet I've stayed too long on this floor. I don't wish to be imprisoned here, after all - the exam will continue without either of us."

White's hand flicked into his satchel, pulling out one of the pencils he had thrown earlier. "Stay still."

Violet no longer had the energy to disobey, her vision going slightly hazy at the thought of even moving.

She closed her eyes, ready for everything to fade away.

...

...

... it wasn't happening...

...

Violet opened her eyes.

She was in a completely different position from before. She was at White's side, whereas before she was right in front of him. And where she was... Apple stood.

"A Wand?" More than anything, White looked amused. "You saved her with a Wand?"

The pencil was stuck in Apple's shoulder. With a painful yank, he shoved it out as a bit of blood started staining his fur. "I... hi, guys?" He waved, dropping the pencil into a pile of wooden shards at his feet.

"Hi, Apple." Violet could scarcely wave, Clarity likewise.

Apple turned to White. "So... uh, fair warning here. Killing my friends is not okay, under any circumstances. I'd like you to leave, please."

"And why would I, when I could just get rid of you too?" White vanished into thin air, his voice echoing around. "You're not even an attraction."

In response, Apple pulled out a curly stick. "White." He simply said, before waving the stick. Apple vanished into thin air, before appearing a meter away from Violet... half a foot off the ground.

Violet crawled back quickly as White removed the illusion covering himself. "You're lucky with those, aren't you?"

"I get a feeling for what they can do as I hold them," Apple shrugged as the wand in his hand shattered. Apple reached into his bag and pulled out a... pipe?

"Hey, that's mine!"

"Sorry, Clarity, but I kind of need it right now!" Apple swung the pipe down at White's head. White easily knocked it away with his pen, but Apple twisted around to smash White's side with the pipe.

White shoved Apple off him, making him fall off balance. "You're rather annoying."

In response, Apple reached into his bag and waved another wand. There was a large explosion, as White was flung away.

Violet didn't know what to think about the fact that Apple had done more damage to White than she and Clarity combined, judging from the burn scars that were on White's fur.

White, though, didn't look too upset. "Switcher Wand, Pounce Wand, Blast Wand... how many variants do you have?"

"A lot," Apple admitted. "I can find them pretty easily - I think I have twelve or so more wands."

"Ah - twelve, you say?" White smiled. "You must be rather lucky, then."

Then, in a burst of motion, White snatched Apple's bag, pulling it away from his shoulder. Apple's eyes widened, but before he could grab it, White retreated, tossing Apple's bag up and down.

"Hm..." White looked inside Apple's bag. "Ten wands - you miscounted, little Munchlax. Your penalty is the confiscation of this bag."

And there went the last chance of a true counterattack. Violet had gained enough energy to stand, but it wasn't enough to fight. White's injuries, meanwhile, were fading with the second. We could fight... but there was no point, now that Apple's wands, the only thing to hurt White when he was halfway serious, were in his hands.

Violet gripped her mirrorblade. "Take it - we don't need something like that to defeat you." Violet was feeling a strange sensation - she was blowing hot air. Bluffing. The thought of having to sink this low...

Then something peculiar happened - a bell rang.

White simply smiled - and then started clapping.

"Excellent job," White congratulated. "You've lasted five minutes against me, and now it's time for me to go to the next floor. You've all passed my test, so I don't feel like playing with you anymore." White tossed Apple's bag to Violet. "Give it back to him, keep it... none of that is my issue anymore."

"Are you..."

White simply waved, as a thick, soupy fog filled the room. Violet raised her aura senses, as weak as they were in the Dungeon, to try and find him.

But he disappeared completely, and when the fog lifted, the three of them were left alone in the Dungeon.

"Did he just... spare us?" A bloody taste entered her throat. "He... White spared us?!"

A paradoxical war entered Violet's heart. They were alive, they were safe... because a serial killer decided that he'd had played enough with them and that he didn't care to kill them. They would've died otherwise, after all.

Revulsion at the shame of loss warred with the relief of remaining alive.

"Um... Violet?" Apple asked. "Can you pass me my bag?"

"O-oh... sure," Violet distantly said, carelessly tossing Apple his sack back. The twinging of her wounds made her wince. "Ah... Clarity, can you heal me?"

"Oh, of course!" Clarity quickly nodded, walking over to Violet and running a few Healing Pulses over her. Soon, Violet felt energized enough to wobble, then stand on her feet. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Violet groused, before sighing. "We survived, and that's better than dying... Apple, did you see the Staircase on the way here?"

Apple shook his head. "No, but I was on my way there before I heard this commotion." Apple tapped one of the wands in his bag. "This kind of wand allows you to find the Staircase easily."

"It's almost as though the Mystery Dungeon wants to be cleared," Clarity commented with a half-laugh. "Do you still know where the Staircase is, Apple?"

Apple nodded. "Somewhere to the left of this room," he answered. "I think I can lead us there, so just follow me."

Apple then started waddling his way across the Dungeon floor. Violet and Clarity quickly followed.

"So... your mirror can turn into a sword?" Clarity noted the sword-like mirror at Violet's hip.

"Oh, thanks for reminding me." Violet twisted the sword in her hands a few times. The third time, it turned back into the mirror she was accustomed to. "Yeah, I try to keep it under wraps. After all, it's a bit of an insult for someone not to draw their weapon on you, and I only use the mirror's sword form on fighters I think are worthy of it."

"That means White?"

"Yes - he's both strong enough and skilled enough." Violet went through a couple of sword fighting forms. "Sword Fighting comes naturally to me, as most things do - but I'm much stronger than I usually am when I use it. It only makes sense for me to save my true strength for when it truly matters."

Clarity looked at her in askance. "That's just asking for trouble."

"Bring it," Violet snorted. "I can easily beat people up without it - using it is over-the-top."

"Still," Clarity said. "You looked cool, with your eyes glowing purple like that."

Violet blinked. "Ah, my eyes." Violet closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them, they were their normal red.

"What's up with that, anyway," Apple asked. "It happened on the ship too."

"You said you'd tell me about it," Clarity reminded her.

Violet waved them off. "It's just something my eyes do when I'm feeling emotional or prideful or something," she quickly explained. "It's genetic and it doesn't do anything, as far as I know."

"Wish my eyes glowed," Apple muttered.

"It's painful if I carry it for too long," Violet countered. "It's more of a nuisance than anything else."

To stave off any more questions, Violet pointed out the Staircase in front of them which both Clarity and Apple had been ignoring in their curiosity. "Look, there's the Staircase - let's go!" She rushed forward, tailed closely by Apple and Clarity.

* * *

The crowd was much, much thinner from what it had been before the Mystery Dungeon. Violet didn't want to estimate how many of those were now corpses. Though, being part of the Dungeon was just as bad if not worse, depending on who you asked.

"What took you so long?" Mint, who was standing off to the side, looked at them with a cross glare. "And you messed up my scooter!"

"_My_ scooter!" Clarity corrected, temper awakened. "It's not yours until the exam is over." Clarity sat down and started pulling the sticks out of the wheels and spokes again. "The Mystery Dungeon messed it up a bit - give me thirty minutes and I'll have it perfectly ready again."

Mint huffed, before turning to Apple. "So, did you find anything cool in the Dungeon?" He asked. "I found some piles of glowing dust, but not much else."

"I found these cool wands!" Apple stuck his hand into his bag and took one out, waving it a bit. "Look!"

One of the nearby Pokémon - a Luxio - instantly collapsed, falling asleep.

"That one probably makes people fall asleep!" Apple said. "And this one-"

Mint stopped him. "How many of those do you have?"

"Te- nine!" Apple answered, looking at the shattered wand in his hand. "These are a little weak, though."

"Then I'll hold onto them for you," Mint decided, quickly swiping all of the wands. "What if you break them by sitting on them or something?"

"But what if I need them?"

"Then I'll pass them back," Mint deftly answered. "But for now..."

Apple harrumphed. "If you want them that badly, you could just ask for them, you know."

"Can I have them?!"

Apple shrugged. "Sure - I mean, they're funny-"

"Oh, absolutely." Mint agreed.

"-but I don't want them that much. I might need them in battle, though."

Mint wrapped one of his legs around Apple's shoulder. "Stick close to me and you won't need them," he promised.

Apple smiled deprecatingly. "Why am I more worried now?"

"May I have your attention please?" The crowd's attention was brought once again to Desta, who stood in front of a massive gated wall. "As of now, of the original five hundred and twelve participants, only one hundred and seven remains. Both parts of the first phase have now officially concluded!"

There were a few weak cheers. Most of the participants were busy nursing wounds from the Thickening Woods or resting from the aches gained from the long tunnel between countries.

"Now, in the Mulace National Park, the second phase of the Explorer Exam will commence!" With his words, the gates swung wide open.

"And as for me..." Desta bowed. "I am grateful for having been your examiner. Thank you all, and I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavors to become Explorers." Then there was a flash of motion before Desta disappeared from view.

Slowly, the crowd trickled into the wall. In front of them, two examiners sat - an Emboar and an Alcremie.

"Welcome to Mulace National Park!" The Alcremie stood up. "Now, let's begin the second phase... and cook!"

... what?

* * *

**Even with all the energy and vivacity in this chapter, I can't help but feel its rather weak. Maybe its just me, maybe its because nothing important happened... take your pick. Sure, everyone got closer together, but other than that...**

**Well, either way, the quality isn't for me to decide - it's for you! If you were utterly bored - please, tell me. If you enjoyed it - please, tell me. If you didn't like it - please, tell me. If you just didn't care... well, you know what to do. **

**If you really want to enjoy this, then tell me what you liked, didn't like, were uninterested in - everything. Feedback is better than complete silence, any day of the week. Even if its a flame... well, that means you at least hate me enough to say it.**

**Other than that, stay tuned. Be sure to fav and follow if you haven't already and want to see more. **

**See you later,**

**Parallax**


	4. Food, Lots and Lots of Food

"Cook?!"

Clarity could build. Clarity could heal. So combining those things into one should seem simple. Except now that she thought about it, she realized she had _no_ idea how she was going to go about it.

"I don't know how to cook!" A Zebstrika whinnied, clearly distressed. Clarity empathized with him _hard._ "How do you expect me to do this?"

The Alcremie shrugged. "So you're dropping out, then?"

The Zebstrika shook his head. "I didn't say that," he said softly, now that he was acutely aware of all the attention on him. "I just… what are we cooking, anyway, examiner?"

"'What are we cooking'?" The Alcremie laughed. "That's up to you, isn't it? Just make something to impress Roiti and me."

That's it?

"So hop to it!" The Alcremie shooed them away. "You have five hours to finish your meal and dessert - that's more than enough time if you ask me, but I'm not going to waste them chatting. Leave!"

And with that, everyone started looking for ingredients, leaving Clarity to be alone with her thoughts. Apple had already gone deep into the forest, and Violet wasn't that far behind them (which was a strange thought, since Apple was the slowest person he knew, other than Quartz when he was in a bad mood).

Clarity had to think of _something_ \- she had to cook something for the two examiners. But exactly what should she make?

She walked over to them. "Excuse me, but may I please ask a question?" She was going to use _ALL _the pleasantries she knew. "What are your favorite foods?"

The Alcremie just looked at her and snorted. "And here I was thinking that no one would ask me what my favorite food is." Then she smiled. "Well, for your information, number 476, I will be looking at the dessert portion of the meal. I enjoy many kinds of cake, but I am partial to apple pie with a partial Haban Berry filling as well, with roasted Pecan and Rawst ice cream on top."

Clarity gulped. "Um… I'll try my best," she said. She turned to the Emboar, who the Alcremie introduced as Roiti. "And what would you like, examiner Roiti?"

Roiti laughed. "Oh, as long as it feels good in my belly, I won't complain - though, a nice Spoink roast is always appreciated."

Clarity sighed - that, she could work with. "Oh, that's good. I can probably make a Spoink roast." She'd have to youxie it on her corb, but she'd seen her mom make one before - it didn't look that hard.

"Well, that's all well and good, but I'd suggest that you leave soon." The Alcremie coughed. "As you've already spent ten minutes here doing nothing."

Clarity nodded, before quickly running to her scooter and hopping on. "Will do," she promised. "But… erm… can I just ask one more thing?"

"Go ahead, I have nothing to do."

"What's your name?"

The Alcremie blinked. "Charmil. Didn't you hear me tell everyone earlier?"

Clarity narrowed her eyes. "You didn't." She stated, unimpressed. She remembered perfectly, and Charmil never introduced herself.

Charmil scoffed. "As if. Just leave, 476, before I decide to fail you for annoying me."

Clarity pursed her lips, stopping herself from mouthing off at the examiner. With no words uttered, she drove the scooter away into the forest. It wouldn't do for her to mouth off at an examiner, as she honestly felt like doing.

A few minutes later, Clarity had calmed down enough to remember to youxie a Spoink roast recipe. Pulling out her corb, she quickly made the search.

"Spoink saute, Spoink slow cooking… Wait, no I've gone too far… aha! Spoink roast!" There wasn't much to it, in all honesty - kill it by holding it down for ten minutes, pull out all the internal organs, clean it, stuff it, clean it again, salt it, and roast it for… 6 hours?!

How was she going to cook it in time? This kind of meal would take an entire _day_ to make, and she had only four-and-a-half hours left! And that wasn't even talking about the time it would take to make the dessert!

Clarity gritted her teeth, then quickly went to several other websites, just to make sure. But all of them said the same thing - some giving her even _more_ work to do!

Maybe she should just go for another kind of meal. It would be much easier and give her a lot of time to search for other ingredients.

Then Clarity remembered - while the examiners would like to cut down on their size as much as they could, with Desta cutting off over half their original number, the job of the contestants was to show that they _couldn't_ be cut off, that they were too skilled to fail the examiners' challenges.

"I'll figure out a way…" Clarity vowed.

Now that she was set on the Spoink roast, her mind began to work overtime, trying to find a way to accelerate the process and make it so that she would be able to cook the roast on time. A quick look online told her that a roast worked through the diffusion of heat through the meat.

The answer was obvious then - make it so that when she added heat to the spit, it would diffuse faster. But she had no real way of knowing what chemicals would work on the Spoink roast, not to mention the effect it would have on the taste.

And if it managed to poison Roiti, Clarity could kiss her chances of becoming an Explorer goodbye.

So using unknown chemicals was out - not to mention the time it would take to find them in the park. She was stuck with what she had, which meant all of the parts in her case as well as all of the ingredients in the forest.

The caw of a Spearow snapped Clarity out of her musings.

'What am I doing…?' She shook her head. She wasn't standing around for far too long. It would be better for her to gather the ingredients she needed _before_ she went and started experimenting with a Spoink roast.

And while the Spoink roast just needed a Spoink's body, the same couldn't be said for Charmil's request. Apple pie with a Haban Berry filling and a roast Pecan and Rawst Ice cream on top.

Quickly looking at the recipes online showed her that she would need apples (obviously), as well as flour, water, salt, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, milk, and butter. Luckily, they had most of the ingredients - like flour, water, salt, sugar, milk, butter, and all of the spices - at the cooking station. But everything else she had to find inside the park itself.

Apples took her only a few minutes. There were a few apple trees here and there in the park - and a few were already plucked. But Clarity managed to find one that wasn't touched already and grabbed the apples she needed.

Other than that, she needed the lemons for the lemon juice - on a lemon tree, which took her ten more minutes to find - as well as Rawst Berries and Pecans for the ice cream, and Haban Berries to put in the filling as well.

Finding the berries took her thirty minutes as all the other berry bushes were picked clean by her competitors. But, with some careful ears listening out for the ferals around her, she found a few berry bushes with the berries she needed, as well as some Oran and Sitrus Berries.

Considering the size and overall constitution of an Emboar, the other berries would be helpful for sating Roiti's appetite. Clarity took them as well.

Pecans were a little harder to find but she managed to find a few trees with the nuts hanging from the branches. Clarity took the nuts.

All that was left was the Spoink. In all of her searching, Clarity hadn't managed to find a single one. But even with that discouraging fact in play, Clarity persevered. She wouldn't be stopped here.

Clarity was getting as much mileage out of her corb as she could as she searched up anything and everything that could be relevant to her problem. How was she going to find the Spoink for the roast…

Then she smacked herself. Of all the things she had youxied about Spoinks, she hadn't really paid attention to where they lived. There was enough vegetation in this park for them to live wherever, but they would live where they would feel most natural - the mountains.

But since there were no mountains in the park, they would go to the next best thing - the hills two kilometers from where she currently was.

After a bit of a run (her feet constantly reminding her of the _HUNDREDS_ of kilometers she had already run today), she arrived at the mountains, where she finally found them - a pair of Spoink happily bouncing around each other.

"Forgive me…" Clarity whispered to them, as she took a rock in her hands and carefully aimed. "But I have to pass."

She threw the rock at one of the Spoink's head. The rock hit the pearl with a large crack and knocked it clean off the Spoink's head. The other Spoink ran away in fright as the Spoink quickly started chasing after its pearl.

But it could never even get close. Clarity took one of the metal chains in her case - the one that's supposed to be used for bicycles - and whipped it at the Spoink's spring, catching the Spoink midair. With a large yank, Clarity jerked the panicking Spoink toward her, catching it.

"Not so strong without your pearl, aren't you?" Clarity muttered, hyped on adrenaline as she took a few more chains from her case. "You won't be bouncing anymore…"

With several quick motions, she took the chains and used them to compress the Spoink's spring and press it against its body. The Spoink's eyes widened as its heart stopped beating.

Clarity finished wrapping up the Spoink, who was now struggling for his life. "Ha… I…"

The Spoink tried to attack her - but its Confusion was nothing more than a tickle to her, from the untrained feral Spoink that no longer had its pearl amplifier. The Spoink rolled around but couldn't get the suffocating chains off.

Clarity collapsed, adrenaline leaving her body as the pain of her feet, which she had been able to ignore, returned with a powerful vengeance. She took a look at the Spoink as it struggled around, flopping on the ground. The other Spoink slowly bounced into view, before taking a single look at the situation and fleeing for its life again. Clarity couldn't exactly blame it or even trouble herself to catch it as well - she needed a little break as well.

It takes ten minutes, on average, for a relatively developed brain to cease activity once it stopped receiving oxygen. Clarity watched with a sense of morbid fascination as the Spoink's struggles ceased, as it died in front of her eyes.

"Sorry," she whispered to the Spoink, as she hauled it onto her scooter for transport. "It's for a good cause." Despite those words, Clarity felt a sense of shame at what she did, before burying it under with everything else.

Her scooter wasn't exactly meant for the amount of weight she was putting on it, but Clarity slapped it a few times and it roared to life anyway. Percussive maintenance at work.

Clarity kept an ear out for any of her competitors, as she was in the most vulnerable position yet. She was hampered right now, with all of the ingredients she needed to keep fresh and protected in plain view.

But if anyone noticed her, they didn't do anything. Clarity managed to avoid all of the deals around her and arrived at the cooking stations, one and a half hours after the second phase started.

"Clarity, over here!" Clarity smiled as she saw Violet waving at her. "Hurry up, you only have three and a half hours left!" She patted an empty station next to hers, across from where Apple and Mint were working.

"Thanks for keeping a spot for me," Clarity said as she dumped all of her ingredients at her station. "What will you be making?"

Violet patted a half-skinned Deerling carcass next to her. "I'm going to make venison stew, I've seen my mother make it enough times to know it by heart. I'll try and make a berrycake as the dessert, I've made a couple before."

Clarity smiled. "I'm sure it'll taste good."

"Well, of course," Violet smiled as she continued skinning the carcass. "That much is obvious." Violet took a look at Clarity's ingredients. "I can tell you're going to make something with that Spoink - are going to boil it? Grill it?"

"Roast it," Clarity answered.

Violet frowned. "Doesn't that take a long time?"

"I'll figure it out - just concentrate on your Deerling, Violet."

Violet shrugged. "Well, good luck." Violet went back to her Deerling.

The conversation had roared Clarity's worries back to life. She had a little over three hours to get the roast ready, and she still hadn't thought of a way to make the roast go faster - and the more time she spent doing nothing, the less time she would have to cook.

"First things first, I need to get things ready for the dessert." An oven for the pie and an ice-cream churner for the ice cream. The patents for both were online, and while Clarity didn't have the parts she needed she could easily repurpose parts from the scooter as substitutes.

The oven didn't take too long to make - back when she was first building machines around the age of four or five, she had pulled an oven apart to see how it worked. She could make a simple oven in her sleep - it only took her five minutes.

The ice cream churned was significantly harder, as she didn't have any refrigerants for the convection coils, nor did she know any Ice-type moves as a substitute. What she _could _do was take apart the ingredient refrigerator they provided and use the refrigerants inside as another substitute. As long as she kept it away from the grill, spit, and oven, it would allow her to make moderately cold ice cream. It only took her ten minutes to make it.

With that, she now had her machines built. The pie and ice cream would only take an hour or two for both, so she'd take care of them as soon as she got the… roast…

… she still had no idea.

"Hey, Violet? How do you suggest I speed up the roast?" Clarity asked casually - but Violet was too busy stewing her Deerling to answer her. "Violet!"

"Oh, what?" Violet looked up. "Sorry, I was a little busy-"

"Violet, I need a little advice," Clarity asked, a little heat creeping up her face. "I, um, don't know how to make this roast go faster."

Violet looked at her with unimpressed eyes. "So you _couldn't _figure it out." Violet sighed. "Well, maybe if you go into the forest you'll be able to find something else - or maybe you could boil or stew the Spoink, or something like that."

Clarity shook her head. "I have to make a Spoink roast," she insisted.

"Why?"

"It's a personal challenge," she answered somewhat honestly. "What kind of Explorer would I be if I can't do something like this?"

Violet considered what Clarity just said. "I can definitely see where you're coming from Clarity, but I don't think this is the best time or place to do it." Clarity grimaced. "But I can sense you'll keep on trying, so I suggest asking Apple or Mint."

Before Clarity could take Violet up on her advice and ask them, Mint answered preemptively. "I don't know, this is the first time I've ever cooked anything fancy in my life. Ask Apple, he's the expert."

Clarity turned to Apple, who was staring down in a bashful way. "Really?"

"Um, yeah," Apple affirmed, a tiny frown on his face. "I think my cooking is pretty good."

Clarity raised her eyebrows as she walked over to Apple's station and looked at what he was cooking. He hadn't started on his dessert yet, but he was making his own stew on a pot. Clarity leaned in over the pot and took a large sniff of the pot. It smelled rather good…

Then its full aroma hit Clarity. She would have almost dunked her head in if it wasn't for Apple grabbing her head and dragging her back. "No, it isn't for you!" He admonished.

"Apple, that… that's amazing!" She gasped. "Can I have a little bit?"

Apple looked around furtively, then nodded. "Alright, but only one cup. The rest is for the examiners." Apple took a spoonful of the stew in the pout and ladled it into a cup. "Drink up!"

Clarity quickly took the cup, making sure not to burn herself, and drank it bottoms up, draining it in an instant.

Later, Clarity wouldn't be able to exactly describe the taste of the stew. After drinking it, her senses wouldn't work for a minute. All that she knew was that she collapsed, barely able to hold herself up.

"Clarity!" Mint was immediately at her side, before looking at Apple. "What did you do to her?!"

"M-m-m-more…" Clarity moaned, struggling to stand up and get more of the stew. "Give me… more…"

Violet looked at Apple with no small amount of trepidation. "Apple, what did you _do_…?"

Apple looked unconcerned. "Just give her a couple of glasses of water to wash the taste of the soup out of her mouth, and she'll be back to normal soon enough."

Mint looked at Apple suspiciously but filled a cup with water and gave it to Clarity. "Drink this, Clarity, and we'll give you some more."

Clarity greedily drank the water - then her eyes widened, as some feeling returned to her legs. Mint, upon seeing this, refilled the cup and gave it to Clarity to drink. Clarity drank, and a bit more lucidity returned.

"What… what was that…" Clarity asked, breathing a little haggard. "That… wasn't stew… that was… infinitely better…"

Apple shrugged. "No one's ever been dissatisfied with my cooking before, though I'm trying especially hard for this one."

"Do you put drugs in it or something?!"

"Drugs?" Apple scratched his head. "Why would anyone put drugs in a stew - after all, they make terrible ingredients."

"That _can't_ have been normal cooking," Clarity insisted. "That had to have had _something_ in it!"

Apple frowned. "That was made with pure _skill_, Clarity!" Apple insisted. "I didn't put anything weird in the stew!"

The beat of Apple's heart didn't change, and Clarity _knew_ that Apple was a poor liar. Still, a polygraph was hardly sufficient evidence…

… but Clarity didn't have that many options at the moment regardless. "Then can I get your help for something, Apple?"

Apple nodded eagerly. "Of course!"

Clarity waved him over to her station. "I need some help with my Spoink - I want to roast it, but it needs at least twice as many hours to cook as we have left. Do you have any suggestions as to what I can do to make it go faster? Any special roasting techniques?"

Apple frowned for half a minute. "No… I don't think there's anything you can do to make it go faster. It takes time, more than anything else, for something to roast. There's nothing you can do."

Apple said this, not with force, but some sort of absolute certainty. Clarity wanted to argue the case but realized she didn't _have_ a case.

"So… that's it, then." Clarity frowned. "I'll have to either change to a different dinner or fail."

Apple stood still for a second, before taking a deep breath. "... not necessarily," he slowly disagreed.

Clarity narrowed her eyes. "You said that it was impossible to make the roast go faster," she restated.

Apple shook his head. "I said that it was impossible for _you_ to make the roast go faster. There's… one thing I can do, to make it possible." Apple looked like he was in pain, and his heartbeat tripled in nervousness.

Clarity felt her own trepidation grow. "What is it?"

"I can't show you," he said. "And I'll need a distraction."

"A distraction?" Clarity echoed, as the seed of worry grew in her stomach. "What are you planning?"

Apple read the mood. "It's not dangerous!" He insisted quickly. "But I made a promise to keep it secret, so I won't be able to show any of you."

Apple's heartbeat was so quick that Clarity couldn't even begin to tell what wasn't a lie and what wasn't. But some instinct told her that she could trust Apple with this. "If you're sure it's not dangerous…"

"I'm sure, one hundred percent," Apple vowed. "You can trust me."

Clarity sighed. "Alright. You needed a distraction?" Clarity looked at Violet and Mint, who were both listening in. "Any ideas?"

Mint grinned. "You're the one with rocket thrusters - you can figure it out."

And the thing was, Clarity had.

"This better be worth it, Apple," she stated, before pulling out one of her two cans of RP-1, commonly used as rocket fuel. "These cost a few thousand berries a pop."

Clarity took one of the bottles of alcohol (what were the examiners _thinking_?) in the cabinet under the stove, emptied it, then poured the RP-1 into it. Then she finished the cocktail by liting a small cloth wick and stuffing it in the neck of the bottle.

Clarity took aim at a stone courtyard seventy feet away from the stations, under the wide-eyed gaze of Violet and Mint. "Here goes nothing."

Clarity threw the Molotov cocktail, and it sailed gracefully into the air. Then the three of them watched as the RP-1 ignited.

A giant fireball, searing the hair off their faces, erupted. All work stuttered to a halt as everyone watched the fire burn for roughly ten seconds. Then, leaving scorched stone behind, the fire died.

"What _happened_?!" Charmil, the Alcremie examiner rushed forward, looking at the damage. "Who caused this accident?!" No one stepped forward, least of all the perpetrator Clarity.

Charmil grimaced, before holding her head. "Does anyone know who caused this?! Nobody? Nobody at all?"

A few accusations were thrown about half-heartedly - none accusing Clarity.

Charmil groaned, before looking at them with disappointment. "Well? Get back to work!"

Everyone then remembered that they were, of course, cooking. Within seconds, everyone started tending to their meals again.

Clarity turned to her Spoink, and her eyes widened as she saw a strange black liquid finish seeping into it. Apple was standing over it, patting his hair.

"Did any of you see it?" Apple asked, looking at the Spoink.

"At that strange black stuff you put in _my_ Spoink?"

Apple winced. "Um… pretend you didn't see it, then."

Clarity glowered at Apple. "I thought you said you wouldn't put any drugs in my roast."

"And I didn't!" Apple claimed. "That stuff that I put in won't necessarily make it taste delicious." Apple's heartbeat betrayed him, and Clarity could tell he was lying. Clarity glanced at Violet and saw that she was looking at Apple with suspicion as well.

Apple sensed the dark mood. "I'm being honest! It _isn't_ a drug!" He swore. "What I put in there was apple juice!"

… the truth. Apple spoke the truth - but it couldn't be! That black stuff _couldn't_ be _apple juice_ \- it was inconceivable!

Clarity sighed, as the weight of the day pressed down on her. "Fine, Apple. I'll take your word for it." It wasn't as if she wanted to let her rocket fuel be a waste anyway. "Any suggestions for roasting the Spoink?"

"The juice that I put in will speed up the roasting process by a lot," Apple claimed. "Once you put it on the spit, wait an hour before turning it. After another hour, you can take it off."

That was in line with the instructions she found online. "Alright, I'll do that," she promised. "You should get back to work on your stew, Apple."

Apple nodded. "Good luck!" Apple then started tending to his own dinner.

Clarity quickly took the spit and seasoned it a little, before putting it on the roasting spit and holding it over the flames. Looking at the Spoink now brought some odd feeling to her heart, one that she didn't quite like. Clarity banished the feeling as much as she could.

"Alright, alright… the dessert." The dough for the crust took fifteen minutes to make, and she put it into the refrigerator. After that, she started to work on the filling, quickly skinning the Haban berries and chopping them next to the apples, then tossing all the rest of the ingredients of the filling together. It only took another fifteen minutes.

As she was rolling out the flattened pie dough over the tin, she chanced a look over at the roast, to see how it was doing. Her eyes then widened.

Somehow, the roast was cooking incredibly quickly - the skin was already darkening under the Spoink and there was a pungent yet fragrant aroma wafting from it. Clarity started drooling.

Apple looked over at her, smiling. "See? What did I tell you?"

That… what _was_ that juice?! A quick youxie search told her that no, apple juice _didn't_ multiply the speed of cooking. But, considering that apple juice was definitely _not_ black, Clarity could say that it definitely wasn't apple juice Apple poured on her roast.

But it couldn't have been anything else - no known chemicals have that property, and none of the chemicals that could even come close looked remotely identical to what Apple poured on her roast.

"Apple, what _was_ that stuff?" Clarity asked, feeling a little frustrated.

"Apple juice."

"It was _not_ apple juice!" Clarity snapped, a little impatient. "No apple juice looks like… that!"

Apple just looked at her, with an inscrutable gaze. Slowly, Clarity felt the spike of anger fade away.

"I'm sorry, Clarity, but it's something I can't let you know about. I made a promise to keep it secret." And with that, Apple went back to his stew.

A small pit opened in Clarity's stomach. Apple's heartbeat was completely slow, sad, and mournful. A quick look at Violet told her that she wasn't sensing it wrong.

Clarity decided to leave Apple with his stew and went back to finishing the pie. Once she finished pinching the edge of the pie and opened a few slits on the top, she slid it into the oven. It would take a little over an hour to cook, accounting for the hardy Haban berries - just enough time.

An hour had passed since she first put the Spoink on the spit, so she took a look at it. It didn't look _quite_ done, but she wasn't going to doubt her luck now. She turned the spit so the Spoink was now upside down - it would take another hour for the Spoink to completely finish.

Then, as she turned back to her station, she was bumped into from behind, almost causing her to squash the pecans.

"H-Hey!" Clarity managed to right herself just in time, barely avoiding a worrying fate. "Watch where you're… going…"

Something strange happened, as she looked at the person who bumped into her. They were completely cloaked, a circular mask on their face. There was a black hexagon mark on their chest as well. They also radiated a quiet calming aura. Somehow, Clarity got the sensation that she was being smiled at.

They also had no heartbeat or shadow.

Violet, Mint, and Apple had also stopped making their own meals. Somehow, they sensed the abnormalities in the Pokemon. Mint, in particular, had a very sharp and fast heartbeat, eyes jumping between her and the Pokemon incredibly quickly.

The Pokemon continued walking… then turned, making a loop around their shared stations. Then they circled them again, and again…

Then, strangely, another copy of the pokemon appeared, right behind it. It shadowed the original, following it in its footsteps. Then another one appeared.

Soon, a whole ring of the Pokemon appeared, each traveling in each other's footsteps. Clarity had long since lost track of the original - and by everyone else's frantic looking around, so had they. All of the rest of the competitors, as well as the examiners, hadn't noticed anything yet.

Then there was a_ shift_ as if a single blade of grass had lifted. Nothing had visibly changed, but something _did_.

Then the copies started disappearing until there was only the original left. The Pokemon then stalked away.

Clarity looked around at everyone - nobody had been harmed. Violet and Apple were more confused than anything, which was exactly how she felt.

Mint, though, was pale… well, paler than usual.

"Mint, do you have any idea who that was?" Clarity asked, noticing this unusual reaction.

"X," Mint offered. "That was X - and he used Mirror Step on us."

"Who's X?" "What's Mirror Step?" She and Violet asked at the exact same time.

"X is… well, no one knows who he is or where he comes from… if they're a boy or girl… how old they are… all they put on the application was X. And Mirror Step… it's a special exclusive technique that only a few people know. It uses rhythm to trick your brain into seeing… well, more like sensing… multiples or the source. Like Double Team, but it won't dissipate until the user stops."

They were calming down now. Clarity looked at X - they were working on… something, at their station.

"What about that black mark?" Clarity asked, a little curious.

Mint shrugged. "I think I've seen it somewhere before, but I don't know where. Your guess is as good as mine."

Even with a perplexing question hanging over them, they had to get back to their meals. Luckily for Clarity, all that was left for her was the Rawst and Roast Pecan ice cream. After taking twenty minutes to roast the pecans and press the Rawst berries for their juice, she dumped them in with the rest of the ingredients - the milk, sugar, etc. - and set them in the churner. After thirty more minutes, the ice cream had finished - and luckily, so did the pie and the roast.

Everyone was finishing up their own meals now. Apple was still putting the odd spice in the pot every now and again - yet every time he did, the stew somehow grew more fragrant, more delicious. Clarity's stomach ached for more of his stew - she just hoped that he would leave some for her as well. Violet finished her own Deerling stew, and her berrycake was right next to Clarity's pie in the oven.

Mint… was making a burger. He was also borrowing her churner to make a Nanab Split. He wasn't trying very hard, most taking the time to chat with Apple about the efficacy of using a sword versus a polearm in _The Intergalactic May-Not-Exist-In-Real-Life Space Chess_.

"Using a sword generates more DPS - a cardinal can use it to easily beat a knight!"

Apple frowned. "Buuuuuuuuuutttttttt… if a _rook_ \- not a cavalry unit, a _rook_ \- uses the twelve-tier bludgeoning ax or above, then it can get more points than…"

Clarity started tuning them out. All she knew about that game was that the jester tokens typically had puns on them. She gave up on the game after reading only one of them, as they were _that_ bad. Though, her brother Quartz could give any grandchampion a run for their money.

Most of the other participants in the exam had already finished and were presenting them to Charmil and Roiti. As Clarity continued dressing up the Spoink with the leftover Rawst Berries and Roast Pecans she had, she noticed something a little… no, _incredibly _worrying.

Roiti, the Emboar who took care of the dinner portion of the exam, gleefully chomped down on anything that came his way. He managed to find something to compliment on with every dish, passing everyone and raising the hopes of the participants.

Then Charmil picked at the dessert a little bit, took a single bite, and failed the participant. And as you needed them _both _to pass you… nobody had passed the second phase, as far as Clarity had seen. Surely _somebody_ had passed… right?

Clarity finished topping up the Spoink. It looked fine… as far as she knew. And now that the ice cream had just finished churning as well, she could decorate the pie as well. Putting the ice cream into an insulated box, Clarity grabbed the pie and the roast and stood in line. She was the second-to-last - Violet and Mint were in front of her, while Apple was the last person in line.

Violet was the first one of their group to present. She ladled her stew into a bowl. "Here is some Deerling stew," she smiled, bowing a tiny degree and offering a spoon to go along with it.

Roiti smelled. "This is the Spring Form, right?" Roiti then ignored the spoon and gulped the entire bowl down. Violet's jaw slackened a little.

Roiti brought the bowl down and considered the meal. "Hmmm… the Deerling meat was a little undercooked, but I loved the unique spices you put into it. Chesto shavings with paprika is a really pungent combination!" Roiti grinned. "I say you should pass!"

But Violet had also noticed the trends going on. She turned to Charmil and quickly cut a slab of berrycake for her. Charmil frowned.

"That's it? No decorations? No toppings?" Violet's eyes flashed red. "I don't even need to taste this to know it won't satisfy."

Violet's eyes burned. "I thought the exam's proctors would be fair and impartial," she said in a low, accusatory tone.

Charmil laughed. "And I am. I would have the exact same reaction if anyone else gave this to me." Charmil quickly flicked a crumb of the cake onto her tongue, let it sit there for half a second, then spat it at Violet. Clarity felt her blood grow hotter. "And exactly as I thought - your cake was too dry, as you added too much flour." Charmil sighed. "Another failure. Good luck next year."

Violet looked absolutely gobsmacked.

"Next!" Charmil shouted with annoyance.

Violet came to her senses. Sending Charmil a scathing look, she went and sat back at the station, a sullen look sticking to her face.

Mint stepped forward. "Here's a burger." He didn't even bother dressing it up and just passed it to Roiti.

Roiti chomped down the entire burger in a single bite. "Oooohhh! The Bouffalant in this gives it such a powerful and tough texture - and how it mingles with the hot sauce…" Roiti had a swooning look on his face. "You definitely pass!"

Mint didn't bother to look hopeful and just slid Charmil her Nanab split. Then he walked away to sit next to Violet. "Guess I'll try again next year," he said in a deadpan tone.

Charmil looked at the melting Nanab split with disgust. "Of all the desserts I've been given, this quite possibly has the _least_ amount of work put into it." Charmil didn't even bother tasting the Split, just throwing the entire dish in the garbage. "Next!"

Clarity felt a chill crawl up her spine. The trend… no, the _law_ these two followed… disqualified everyone, since you needed both to approve of their respective dishes. If they were this strict with everyone, there would be no Explorers passing this exam.

Clarity stepped forward, holding the roast with both hands. She presented it to Roiti. "Here you go."

Roiti grabbed a fistful of the roast and stuffed it into his mouth. Then his eyes lit up. "This… is… amazing!" Roiti started shoveling more and more of the roast in his mouth. "I didn't know it was even _possible_ to make a roast in such a short time - and you made it the best roast I've ever had." Within seconds, Roiti finished the roast Clarity had made, licking his claw tips forlornly. "I couldn't even _begin_ to unpack that dish. Amazing - you pass, no question!"

But Roiti wasn't the only person she had to impress. With a dreadful sigh, Clarity cut a slice of the apple pie for Charmil. It smelled good… which could mean anything to someone like Charmil. Clarity opened the box of ice cream and scooped some onto the slice. As it was melting into the pie in an oddly satisfying sort of way, Clarity handed it to Charmil. Now, she could only hope…

Charmil took the piece of pie with an upturned look on her face. "Hm…" She sniffed the air, and she frowned. Clarity's heart skipped a beat.

"This won't taste good," Charmil stated, before taking a fork and cutting a bit of the pie off, mixing it with the ice cream. Clarity's heart sank as she took the bite.

Then Charmil sighed, before pushing the rest of her slice away. "You tried," she offered with a consoling look on her face. "You really, _really_ tried to make this work. The apples aren't fresh enough, the berries are slightly overripe, and the ice cream is underchurned. And I could forgive all that since you managed to do the impossible and make a roast in a fraction of the time needed… if it wasn't for the Haban berries."

Clarity gulped. "What about the Haban berries?" The Haban berries were the last thing on her mind, up until now.

Charmil, though, sighed. "Let me guess - you've never worked with Haban berries until now. You've always had them in meals already cooked too."

Charmil was spot-on. "And that means…?"

"Haban berries, if you didn't already know, have to have their bitterness boiled away. Otherwise, it makes them nearly inedible - and not just to my delicate taste, but to everyone."

To punctuate this point, Charmil took one of the cooked Haban berries from the pie and flicked it into the back of Clarity's mouth, faster than she could react. Clarity reflexively swallowed, then gagged on the acrid bitterness of the berry. How could she…

"The berry destroys whatever the pie had going for it. Sorry to say this, but… plain and simple, you've failed."

And it was done. Clarity wordlessly took her disgusting pie and walked away in shame. For everyone else, they failed because Charmil was too strict, but _Clarity _failed because of her inexperience and lack of ability. She sat down at a nearby station, too tired because of the run earlier to walk all the way to her station.

She was still in the range of hearing the examiners. "Alright, who's the last participant?"

"My name is Apple!" Apple introduced himself enthusiastically. "Here is a Cherubi and Fomantis Leaf stew!" He offered his fragrant stew to Roiti. Roiti took a deep breath, and his eyes widened.

"What… what is this?" Roiti whispered, looking at the bowl of stew with wide eyes. "I… it has this weird… _gravity_… to it." Roiti tentatively took a spoon and dolloped up a little bit of stew. He slowly brought it up to his mouth, in a strange sort of caution.

Then he drank it.

What Roiti did next was a bit… odd, to say the least. He stopped drinking, stood up, and slowly walked away. Apple looked at Charmil questioningly. "Um…"

Charmil shrugged. "Like I know."

"GRAAAAAAAGGGGGGH!" Roiti's roar shook the park Everyone turned to look at him bewildered. "I… I can't take it! I… I can't have more of that stew!"

Apple looked frightened. "Um…"

Roiti looked at Apple with tear-filled eyes. "You… I can't have any more of your stew… how could you?!"

"I'm… sorry." Apple bowed. "I didn't know it was that bad." Apple looked shocked, and Clarity _felt_ shocked. How did Apple mess up the stew so badly? It tasted amazing, the last she checked."

Roiti chuckled, which fell into full-blown laughter. "Bad? BAd? BAD?!" Flame started leaking from his every pore. "Words can't even begin to describe the quality of that dish! You pass - I would destroy hell, Distortion, and every other damned world before saying otherwise!"

"... oh." Apple gulped. "I… okay."

Charmil looked at Apple with a degree of caution and concern. "How did you…?"

Apple shrugged. "I guess… he didn't want more? Even though he really liked it?" Apple sounded as confused as they all were. He then looked at Charmil. "And here's what I made for you."

It was a blukberry pie - one of the simplest desserts possible. Charmil took it, cut herself a slice, and then ate it. Everyone, now paying their fullest attention, watched with bated breath.

Charmil finished her slice of pie and chewed on it as she deliberated a little. Then, a minute of chewing later, she finally swallowed.

"... that was good," she said in a low, happy voice. "You pass."

* * *

"YES!"

He passed! Apple was a little worried, seeing what happened to that nice Emboar guy and how weirdly he took to the stew, but it didn't matter, because he PASSED!

"I passed, I passed, I passed~" Apple cheered himself on with a tiny little dance, not realizing everyone's eyes were on him. "I passed, I passed, I passed~"

The Alcremie coughed. "Anyway, now that everyone has-"

"I passed, I passed, I pass-"

"Enough!" The Alcremie's harsh voice snapped Apple out of his self-congratulatory funk. "Stop dancing!"

"I… okay." Apple flushed as he saw all of the participants stare at him. "Um… sorry."

The Alcremie sniffed at him. "As I was _saying_," she continued. "Now that everyone has handed their dishes in for tasting, we can now state who passed this phase of the exam - there only being two this year."

Apple's eyes widened. There was another person as good at cooking as he was? He hadn't met anyone like that yet!

"Everyone else failed. Congratulations, idiots - you all failed at the safest phase of this exam. I give you _one_ job - just make me something I'll be able to enjoy eating - and you fail it _miserably_! And over half of you went for _dangerous _ingredients over delicious ones - what makes you think that you can make a dish with processed Salazzle pheromones!"

The Alcremie continued ranting, angry spit flying from her mouth. Apple saw a few of the participants bristle, and a few others had murder in their eyes. Roiti shifted a little bit, uncomfortable.

"So in conclusion, you all _never_ had a chance of becoming Explorers in the first place due to your asinine, illogical, immature, and downright _disgusting _attempt at pretending to be competent!"

There was a deafening silence at this, a hundred livid glares on the Alcremie at once. Even Apple felt angry - he _knew_ Clarity had tried her hardest to make that pie! So what if she made a mistake? That's no reason to disqualify her, is it?!

"That's it!"

The Zebstrika from earlier - the one that was so worried about failing - trotted into view, heavily angrily at the Alcremie examiner. Showers of sparks were falling from his mane, setting a few of the blades of grass around him ablaze.

"How _could _you?!" He screamed. "Do you think that this is a _game_...o-or that we're your _servants_?! We came here to be _Explorers_, not your personal chef!"

The discontented murmuring grew louder as the participants slowly abandoned reason and instead looked at the Examiner who had failed them with a passionate hate.

The Zebstrika continued. "None of us are going to become chefs anytime soon - in fact, most of us will become rich enough to have a chef of our own! I plan to explore the great Voltagian Prairie, and I _won't_ need to become a cook to do so!" Nods of assent - most from the discontented - backed the Zebstrika up.

"So you're going to pass us _all_ since you're such a failure of an examiner!" The Zebstrika demanded - and at this, there was a large roar of approval, several other participants standing up and cheering for the Zebstrika.

The Alcremie didn't react. Instead, she looked at the Zebstrika cooly. "And if I don't?"

Then you'll leave me no choice." The Zebstrika warned. "I'll make this as painful as possible!"

The Zebstrika charged forward, blitzing his way across the field in a fraction of a second with a sparkling wreath of electricity wrapped around him.

"Eat THIS for a change! WILD CHARGE!"

_*SMASH*_

The Zebstrika was an inch away from the Alcremie when Roiti's trunk-like arms smashed into him, sending him rocketing over two hundred meters away. The Zebstika, electricity discharged into the air, smashed into a meter-thick stone wall.

*_CRACK_*

The Zebstrika fell to the ground, twitching slightly. The Alcremie sneered at the broken body of the Zebstrika, before turning to Roiti.

"Really, Roiti? Leaving me without fun?"

Roiti shrugged. "What you leave behind smells awful - this way is cleaner."

The Alcremie sniffed. "I suppose that's true." She turned to the rest of the participants. "So, does anyone else want to end up like him?"

Dead silence.

"I thought so." She sneered. "You're all cowards. None of you will ever pass, and I-"

The Alcremie stopped, as her corb floated out of her bag. She slapped a hand to her face. "Ugh… who is it?!"

A genial voice rang out - Apple recognized the voice as the Indeedee who gave them their badges. "Charmil, Diamond Master Rikal will arrive in five minutes to discuss the events that have just occurred. Stand by."

The corb connection winked out.

A strange phenomenon came over Charmil. She began twitching, and Roiti began looking a little nervous.

"Ugh… he's coming _now_ of all times? This can't be good."

"I _told _you to be a bit more lenient, Charmil," Roiti admonished. "Only passing two of them is a _little_ too strict."

"I'm allowed to fail everyone, aren't I?"

Roiti grimaced. "Yes… but…"

Whatever Roiti was going to say next was halted by a blinding flash of light. Then, a large crystalline sphere appeared above them. Many of the participants marveled at the sight. Others readied weapons and moves in case the sphere wasn't friendly.

Then, like a raindrop, a smaller sphere fell out of the larger one. As it floated to the ground, the larger sphere broke up into many smaller spheres.

Then the spheres disappeared to reveal Pokemon. Most of them were Psychics - Alakazam, Gardevoir, and Beheeyem. Apple vaguely remembered that all of them had the ability to teleport.

But one - the one that fell out at first - revealed an old Lucario, blue fur patterned with large grey streaks and wrinkles lining every square inch of skin.

"Why, hello Charmil." The Lucario smiled indulgently. "How nice to see you."

Charmil grimaced. "Hello, Master Rikal." She bowed deeply, the whipped cream attached to her head wobbling slightly. Roiti sank into a deep bow next to her.

Master Rikal said nothing, simply gazing at Charmil. They stood like that for a while, and even when Charmil finally returned from her bow he said nothing.

Then a few minutes later, he spoke. "Charmil, I have been looking at reports from my agents concerning your exam. It has… come short, considering the standards of the exam."

Charmil's eyes flashed. "But Master Rikal, the rules of the exam state that the examiners can decide on the nature of the phase of their exam, as well as who passes or not."

"Yes, but only within reason," Rikal said in return. "I don't believe that your standards were low enough, Charmil - very few of the Explorers I have under my jurisdiction could appease your famously strict palate, if any."

Charmil said nothing. "I… see."

Rikal continued. "If nearly everyone in the exam has the exact same result, then it can hardly be called impartial, can it. Charmil, you failed nearly everyone. Roiti, you _passed_ nearly everyone." Roiti flushed in shame. "Yes, Charmil, you have the right to fail anyone you wish. But I have the right to replace you as an examiner and allow everyone you failed to a different second phase."

Charmil said nothing, but her frustration was clear to see.

"Do you have anything to say, Charmil, Roiti?"

For a few seconds, neither said anything. Then Charmile sighed.

"I understand, sir. If it would be possible, could you give me another chance? I swear on my license that I will be impartial and give an exam that tests the capabilities of an Explorer."

Rikal continued looking at Charmil for a little while longer. Then, silently, he turned to Roiti. "Roiti?"

Roiti quickly nodded. "I agree - I will make sure to fail some people."

Rikal frowned. "Not necessarily what I was going for, but workable. Roiti, we're going to go with your original idea for the retake of the phase."

A large murmuring went through the crowd as they slowly realized what was going on. "Wait, does that mean…"

Rikal turned back to the participants. "Yes, everyone who has failed will have another chance. I will stay here as an observer, to make sure the examiners are in line."

A smile split across Apple's face as the participants collectively cheered. There was a large mass of stamping heaving and gleeful shouting as everyone, no matter their size or shape, hollered in support and admiration of Rikal. He saw Clarity pump a fist up and down in the air in jubilation and Violet clap vigorously. Mint, though, just breathed a sigh of relief.

Roiti stepped forward. "Everyone, follow me to Deathman's Gorge, seven kilometers to the east!" Roiti then started running out of the park. There was a quick getting out of seats and following him. Within a minute, nearly all of the participants had left.

Apple was following them, of course - though, since his legs were so stubby, he found it nearly impossible to keep up. But before he could leave the park…

"Young Munchlax!" He heard Rikal shout at him. He quickly stopped running and turned to see the aged Lucario walking toward him with a smile on his face. Charmil, who hadn't gone with Roiti, was right behind him. "Where are you going?"

"Um… with everyone else? To Deathman's Gorge?" Apple answered, a little confused. "Where else would I be going?"

Rikal nodded. "I see - but _why _are you going?"

"To… retake the phase?" Apple scratched his head. "Um… I really should be going."

Rikal, though, chuckled. "But you can't retake the phase, young Munchlax - there's no need for you to go."

"Huh?"

Charmil sighed. "The retake was for everyone I _didn't_ pass - but you _did_ pass, so you don't need the retake. You can stay here since they'll be returning here in an hour or two to cook the Tyranitar eggs."

"Tyranitar eggs?!"

Charmil scoffed. "None of your concern. If you want, you can try to catch up… but since they'll probably start heading back here once you get there, you might as well use the opportunity to relax."

Rikal nodded. "You must be a truly skilled cook, to sate Charmil's palate. I'd say that's enough of a reason to go on to the next phase."

"Oh." Well, Apple supposed it _did_ make some sort of sense. "But what am I supposed to do here?"

"Enjoy yourself, and spend some time with the other participant who passed," Rikal answered promptly. "Though Charmil and I must leave." The psychics, which had disappeared soon after Rikal had arrived, returned in a flash of light. They all looked at Apple dispassionately, making him feel a little nervous.

Then the psychics raised their hands or spoons, and soon all of them were cloaked in glimmering crystal spheres. With another flash of light, everyone disappeared - Apple was now alone.

"Um…" Apple sat down, his aching feet now twinging. "I'm alone now…"

Apple brought out one of his apples and absent-mindedly munched on it. He could make something better on the stove, but that usually took too long - simple fruit was enough for him.

Honestly, Apple was a little sad, and the delectable taste of apples didn't really change that. Apple _saw_ how crushed Clarity was when her pie didn't satisfy Charmil's standards. Sure, she got another chance… but that didn't just erase what Charmil did.

How could Charmil be an examiner? Half of the desserts she didn't even bother eating - she just threw away Mint's split. The wasted food - and she was an Explorer! She just took one bite - _one! _\- and decided that the rest was useless!

Thoughts of Charmil just soured the Apple he was eating. He swallowed the half-eaten apple with a small amount of pain and started on a new one, trying desperately to forget about Charmil.

Apple tore through the apple angrily. He reached for another, before barely managing to stop himself. That apple tasted just as sour. The curse had now kicked in - it would take a few more hours for things to taste good again. Enough time for him to forget about Charmil, and for _it_ to recharge from the use on Clarity's roast. Until then, he would wait.

But without anything to eat, Apple was left without anything to do. He didn't have any comics or anything like that with him.

Heck, he didn't have anyone he could even _talk _to!

Apple briefly considered trying to go to Deathman's Gorge and try his hand at the second phase. Heck, anything would be better than just lying here and wasting time. He could ignore the twinging ache of his feet - Explorers could do that sort of thing!

Apple got up - yeah! He'd walk over there, get some Tyranitar eggs, and then come all the way back! It would be easy!

Five seconds after making the decision, Apple started to run in the direction everyone else had run into. Five seconds after that, he ran back.

"Feet… hurt… too much…" Apple groaned. "Okay, okay, we're not running anymore."

Apple, once he arrived back at the cooking stations, decided the next obvious thing.

"Even if it'll taste horrible to me, I'll make something delicious for everyone else!" Apple had spotted some spare Hattena filets on one of the tables. It had been a while since he had grilled something, so this would be a nice review.

As he was flipping the filets, he felt a rather peculiar sensation. Now that he thought about it, that sensation had been around for a while, though muted. It had put him on edge and was still making him a little anxious.

A few minutes later, Apple finally placed the sensation - someone was watching him.

After judging the filets to be done, he put them on a plate and laid them down on a table. Now was time to wait.

A few minutes later, Apple felt a tapping on his shoulder. Turning around, he grinned. "Gotcha!"

There was no one there.

Apple's grin faded away. "What…?" He looked around for a second longer, then turned to the plate of filet Hattena.

It was gone.

Apple stood up. "Whoever's there, show yourself!" There was no response. Then Apple felt a tapping on his shoulder. "You won't get me twice!" The scent of his filet Hattena entered his nostrils, and though it would usually taste delicious, Apple found it repulsive.

Apple sighed as the scent didn't leave. "I swear, if I turn around and there's no one there, I will _find_ you, and you will _pay_." Slowly, Apple turned around.

Then he blanched.

X, the mysterious cloaked Pokemon, stood before him. The filet Hattena was on a table next to them, as X simply looked at Apple.

Apple slowly backed away. "How… Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with the others, retaking the exam?"

X just looked at him, before smiling. Slowly, they walked to a nearby station. Then, in quick motions, X began constructing a sandwich. As the minutes ticked by, Apple's eyes slowly widened. Although the motions were quick, the way X placed the ingredients on the bread… the combinations of the meats and vegetables… the condiments…

Apple wouldn't have made it any other way.

Slowly, X walked back to Apple, putting the sandwich in front of him. Apple took it in his hands and looked back at X. Then he put the sandwich down.

"I saw you make it - I know it'll taste good." Apple sighed. "You were the other participant who passed, right? You don't need to retake it either."

X didn't say anything. Yet Apple felt the truth in his own words.

"Why don't you talk?" Apple asked, frowning. "I'm pretty sure this would have gone faster if you did."

X gestured at the sandwich. Apple furrowed his brow.

"What about your sandwich?"

X stood silent for a few seconds. Then he walked to his sandwich and threw it into the woods. Apple gaped as a few Zigzagoon crawled out of a few bushes and immediately began tearing over the scraps of meat.

X stepped toward Apple's filet Hattena, before slowly winding up into another throwing stance with the filet in hand.

"No!" Quickly, Apple rushed forward and grabbed the filet out of X's hands. "Don't waste it!"

X turned to look at Apple, who still had the filet in his hands. X reached toward the filet, and Apple knew that if X managed to throw it, Apple wouldn't be able to save it in time. X _was_ faster than Apple was.

But Apple thought fast, and with a quick plan in mind, he stuffed the filet into his throat. He nearly gagged on the tastelessness, wanting to immediately throw it back up again, but knew that if he did it would be gone to the ferals. With a final choke, he forced the disgusting-only-to-him meat down into his stomach, where it churned uncomfortably.

Apple heaved a couple of times. Oh, how he was regretting using _its_ power on Clarity's roast. She would have failed either way and if he hadn't used _it_, then his food would actually taste good to him like it usually did.

Apple finally got up to glare at X - but he was gone, leaving his sights once again. In his place, though, he left a familiar-looking glass orb and a note. Apple wobbled over and read.

* * *

**So it's been, uh, a long time. Two and a half months, if I'm correct. **

**Honestly, this isn't _quite_ what I wanted it to be - it's still heavily mirroring the source material and my beta has pretty much quit on me - but I've decided that I have to publish it eventually**

**So... I hope you enjoy the chapter. If you liked it, feel free to drop a review, fav, or follow. I read them and enjoy reading them. I've finished three chapters after this, so you'll be getting a lot of updates quickly.**

**Again, thanks, and see ya later!**


	5. Battleship

The participants were supposed to take Tyranitar eggs from Deathman's Gorge and boil them at the stations. The real challenge was taking it back to the stations, keeping the egg and yourself safe from furious mother Tyranitar, gluttonous wild Pokemon, and other sabotaging competitors.

Only around half of the remaining participants managed to make it all the way back to the stations, the other half either destroyed by the rampages of the Tyranitar or trampled by the stampedes of the ferals.

Luckily, Mint, Violet, and Clarity all managed to succeed in keeping their egg safe. They, along with the rest of the remaining fifty-three participants, managed to bring the eggs to the stations safely, the wall allowing them time to cook.

After that, cooking the eggs was a simple matter. Granted, some still failed, but Apple thought that they _deserved_ to fail, considering the sorry state those eggs were left in after the participants were done with them.

In the end, exactly fifty participants remained after the conclusion of the second phase. The Zebstrika from earlier - the one that tried to attack Charmil - had failed, dying at some unknown point in the retake of the second phase. That, or he had given up. Apple never heard of him again.

After the conclusion of the second phase, Rikal offered to take them all to the site of the third phase. Apple briefly thought that the psychics Rikal had at his disposal would teleport them _all_ \- but then Rikal revealed that he had personally chartered a passenger ship for them to use.

Rikal then said that the trip would take many hours and that since it was getting late, the sun setting during the culmination of the second phase, the exam would continue the following day.

"So, in short," he finally surmised. "You're dismissed. Enjoy the ride."

After that, he had left. Once a few minutes had passed and people started milling about again, the four of them separated - Violet wanted to explore the ship, Clarity had to scavenge around for new parts, as she was only slightly lucky with the parts she already had, and Mint… who knows where Mint went.

Apple was once again left with some alone time. Usually, he'd be wandering around, trying to figure out what to do. But right now, Apple just wanted some time to himself to set up his new corb.

Fiddling around with the controls was a little hard - after, telepathy is something hard to get right, and voice controls are equally as hard. But eventually, Apple managed to get it working. And now he had his own corb! He used to think he would have to be at thirteen to use it - that was Ms. Plate had said to him before when he had asked for a corb. Soon, he would even be able to customize it, as soon as he figured out how!

Apple's smile faded away, though - his appetite had returned from using _it_, so he reached for an apple in his hair, but instead brushed up against the note. Pulling it out, he reread.

_Thank you for the lessons. I hope that this corb will serve as adequate payment, as what you have taught me is priceless. Though, you must learn subtlety in return, if you wish to keep the Fruit safe. Using its essence on the Audino's roast gave you away - no amount of skill can accomplish the impossible. The payment in the form of your indigestion was only confirmation._

_Endeavor to keep it safe, Holder of the Obsidian Fruit._

Apple hadn't heard a certain Eevee approach as he read, be he became acutely aware when Mint whistled. "Ooh, what's this?"

Apple whirled around, quickly trying to stuff the note back into his long, overstuffed hair. But before he could, Mint ripped the note from his hands.

"Mint, give it back!" Apple shouted, lunging fruitlessly at Mint. Mint quickly read through the note, then tossed it back,

"Burn it," Mint immediately said with a languid smile on his face.

"I- what?"

"Burn it." Mint looked at the note with an odd look. "Just looking at that note gave me a lot of information. That apple juice… was it _actually_ apple juice?"

Crap… it had only been twenty seconds since Mint had read the note, but he had already figured out too much.

"Y-yeah," Apple admitted, caught red-handed. "It's… well, that 'Fruit' is an old treasure of mine, from when I was a kid. Someone close to me made me swear to never tell anyone about it, to keep it a secret for as long as possible… but…"

"But you helped Clarity with it, and someone managed to find out from that little information." Mint looked at Apple with an appraising look. "Still… even when I tried to pickpocket you, I couldn't feel it. You must keep it well hidden, then."

"You tried to pickpocket me?!"

"I try to pickpocket everyone, just to see what they have. None of you guys had anything worth taking, though - except for Violet and her antique mirror. That could fetch a pretty penny if sold to the right bidder."

Apple shot Mint a worrying look. "Should I be worried?"

Mint waved. "As long as you give me some stuff for free every now and again, I won't take anything you consider valuable. I'm a thief, but I have _some_ morals. Anyway, do you mind if I get a look at the Fruit?"

Apple frowned. "How do I know you won't just steal it?"

Mint opened his mouth, as if to say something, then closed it again. "I… you can trust me?" He asked.

Apple laughed. "Yeah, I suppose that's true." Apple reached into his long hair, but before he could Mint's paw stopped him. Mint came in close to whisper to him.

"Are. You. Crazy?!" The harshness surprised and confused Apple.

"Um…"

"Not here!" Mint looked around furtively. "I have pretty good senses, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were some Pokemon here with better hearing than I have! We have to make sure _no one_ is listening or watching!"

Slowly, Mint dragged into Apple into a nearby closet.

"Mint, I think that it's okay," Apple tried to soothe.

Mint chuckled. "Didn't you think that when whoever wrote that note found out."

That shut Apple up.

"The writer of this note is right - you are _way_ too relaxed. The exam has already cut out the chafe, even from those that were supposed to be the _elite_. If this is something valuable, then you have to keep it secret." Mint sighed. "That being said… I think we're relatively safe now, assuming the Explorer Association hasn't bugged this room in particular."

Apple gulped. "I thought just not talking about something to someone was enough to keep a secret."

"And as long as you keep that thought, your secret will be found out." Mint sighed. "But… do you still want to show me anyway?"

Apple slowly nodded. "You already read the note, so I think it's okay if you know."

Apple then reached into his hair and pulled out the Fruit. It looked, smelt, and felt like a normal apple, but was pitch-black and glassy, like a stone. Tapping it rang a strange bell-like sound, even though on touch it was like it was supposed to be.

Mint looked at it with mild interest. "So, what can it do?"

Apple, in response, took an old piece of food from inside his hair, a three week old cut of fish. He hadn't been in the mood for fish recently, so this would be a good place to use it.

Mint wrinkled his nose. "That's disgusting, get rid of it."

Apple shot Mint a stink-eye. "Do you waste food often?"

"No? I mean, I do it sometimes, when I don't really feel like eating that much."

Apple sighed, aggravated. "Ugh, _another _food waster." Apple then held the piece of old fish against the fruit.

Under Mint's astonished eye, black liquid seeped into the piece of fish from the Fruit. Then, like magic, the piece of fish started shrugging off its age like clothing. Within ten seconds, the fish looked like it was prepared by a gourmet chef. Mint's mouth began to water.

Apple raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to eat it?"

Mint tore his eyes away from the piece of fish. "Wasn't it just rotten a minute ago?"

"Well, now it isn't," Apple said. "Now it's as good a meal as you're ever going to get."

Mint looked back at the piece of fish. "Are you… sure?"

Apple rolled his eyes. "I'm sure."

Quick as a Ninjask, Mint snapped the piece of fish up. Mint's eyes widened.

"This… is _good_…" Mint whispered in wonder. "I was _sure_ it was rotting-"

"And it was," Apple interjected. "The Fruit didn't restore it or put an illusion on it- it turned the fish into the tastiest version of itself. I've invented a few dishes based on what the Fruit has made for me."

Mint looked at the Fruit in wonder. "Then…"

"It turned Clarity's roast into the best roast in existence, dulled only by Clarity's inexperience in handling the spit." Apple frowned. "She must have burned it or something, or she didn't properly grease it. It should have had a way better taste."

Mint snorted. "Apple, people would _kill_ to have that Apple. Anyone who wants to be a good chef would-"

Apple smiled. "Mint… you don't really understand, do you? That the Fruit isn't as good as you think it is?"

Mint scratched his head. "Huh?"

"Using the Fruit has a price to it, in the form of indigestion." Apple glared at the fruit. "After I use it, it makes me unable to eat anything for a while. I can't digest anything, everything tastes _awful_, and I vomit nearly everything up afterward."

"Oh, so _that's_ why you refused that boiler egg. Here I was thinking you were a snob!"

Apple coughed. "Anyway, its drawback makes it impossible for me to use extensively. Since I need to eat often, using it puts a big toll on me. I've already used it twice today and… and…"

Coincidentally, Apple's stomach finally decided to make itself known again, throwing up several pints of half-digested food. Mint leaned out of the way of the splatter.

"Okay, so not as good as I think. Still, people would pay thousands of dollars to have something like that!"

Apple looked vaguely amused at what Mint said. "You're probably right… except that I can't really sell this thing."

Mint groaned. "If it's for sentimentality or whatever, just stuff it. You'd be better off with the money-"

Apple shook his head. "No, as in I _literally_ can't sell this thing." Apple thought for a second, then came up with a quick plan. "Here, grab the Fruit for a second," Apple handed the Fruit to Mint.

"Sure… now what?"

"Now I'm going to go out. Count to ten, then close your eyes for a couple of seconds, okay?"

Mint blinked. "Uh… sure." Feeling a little confused, Mint decided to trust Apple and took the Fruit in his hands, closing his eyes. Once a few seconds had passed after Apple left the tiny closet they were in, Mint felt the weight of the Apple leave his hands. Mint's eyes shot open.

The Fruit was gone - while he wasn't looking, it had completely disappeared. Mint felt panic seize him for a second before his usual confidence reasserted himself.

That set of circumstances - Apple knew it was going to happen. He had predicted the Fruit's disappearance.

Apple walled back into the closet, the Fruit in hand.

"You can summon the Fruit, then?" Mint asked

Apple shook his head. "Not that I want to - it just happens automatically. I just find it lying around somewhere as if someone left it there for me… Mint?"

Mint's eyes went white, and he stared at the Fruit in Apple's hands.

"Mint?!"

Mint gulped. "You're not selling that, Apple."

Apple scratched his head. "Well, why not?" Mint seemed to have forgotten that Apple was against the whole idea of selling it in the first place.

"It's… you can't lose it… not like…" Mint gulped, as a sheen of sweat started glistening on his fur.

"Mint, are you okay?"

Mint's eyes sharpened. "It's none of your business-" Mint caught himself. "Uh… sorry. Um… it's dangerous?"

What was with the reaction? "Why is it dangerous?"

"Well… uh… " Mint realized something, as he was fumbling around for an answer. "If people find out you have the Fruit and know what it can do, they'll come after you - even if they know the repercussions. And if they find out they simply can't take it from you… they'll kill you. I assume that would stop it from coming back to you, right?"

Apple turned green.

"So let's keep this as secret as possible, okay?" Mint then thought of something worrying. "Who wrote this note?"

Apple went even greener. "X."

"Oh… ****."

They both thought of the dangerous things X could do in silence for a few seconds. Then Mint sighed. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. The best thing we can hope for is that he hasn't told anyone yet and that he'll die in the next phase or something."

"Otherwise…"

"Otherwise I'll take care of him." Mint's eyes flashed darkly. Apple couldn't be concerned for Mint when he said that.

Mint then looked around. "Put the Fruit back into hiding, Apple." Apple did so, hiding the Fruit. "For now, let's just explore the rest of the ship, and I think I saw Violet somewhere in the back. She was playing some sort of game, I think…"

* * *

Twenty minutes later, after spending some time looking around and having fun, they found Violet napping in a corner, though she woke up when they neared.

Violet yawned. "Is it morning already?"

"It's still night. Sorry for waking you up," Apple immediately apologized. Mint wasn't sure why exactly he did, as they didn't wake her up - she did that herself.

Violet shook her head. "No problem," she yawned again. "I'm awake anyway." Slowly the grogginess left Violet's eyes as she stretched a little bit. "Anyway, what are you guys doing?"

"We're exploring," Apple answered. "We got a little bored standing around, so we wanted to see the rest of the ship."

"Well, there's not that much to it," Violet answered. "As much as I'd like to say that it had some secret hideout for genuine Explorers or something, the truth is that there isn't anything unusual here. It's just a ship."

Mint groaned. "Well, that's lame," he groused. "Are you sure there aren't any movies or anything?"

Violet frowned. "Why would there be _movies_ here?" Movies were only something that had been around for a few decades or so, and cinemas were keeping a tight grip on any films that were released to the public. Only the obscenely rich could realistically have a private movie theater for personal enjoyment.

"This is the _Explorer's_ _Association_, Violet," Mint reminded her. "They probably have money to burn. Something like a cinema should be easy for them."

Then Mint heard a chuckle behind him, near the entrance to another hallway that was out of sight. "Young Eevee, while I'd like to believe that one day the Explorer Association will have enough of a financial surplus for something as frivolous as that, at the moment we are stretched somewhat thin trying to pay for the expenses of the average Explorer. Something as bank-draining as a cinema for a transportation boat is… untenable." Rikal, the Diamond Master who allowed them another shot at this year's Explorer Exam, has come behind him without being sensed (which was something impressive in of itself, his parents had made sure to be wary of any potential rivals).

The strange thing was that the end of the hallway Rikal stood in was a dead end, with a storage closet at the end. Mint had subtly positioned himself to sit there on instinct, so having someone sneak up on him was alarming, not to mention (theoretically) impossible.

Mint then audibly groaned. "Oh, it can't be _that_ hard to make a cinema. Doesn't the Association have money to burn?" Despite that, Mint knew that Rikal wasn't lying.

"You know, I've never watched a movie," Apple mentioned offhandedly.

"You should - I mean, the stories and stuff aren't interesting, but just seeing _another world_ on a screen… it shocks you, the first time you see it." Mint mentioned. "Of course, it's way too expensive for someone that isn't a billionaire to watch on the regular - and honestly, I can't imagine a world where you _don't_ have to be obscenely rich to watch twenty minutes of poorly acted footage." Mint wanted the laugh at the thought - imagine cinemas being _accessible_!

Rikal coughed. "Advancements are being made to integrate the technology behind corbs with the cinema experience. Eventually, the Explorer Association hopes to make something like a cinema-corb, so that movies can be made accessible to the public."

"... oh."

Violet, who had been watching instead of talking (for a change), then spoke up. "Diamond Master Rikal, why have you come to talk to us? I'm sure someone as prestigious as you has responsibilities that you must take care of."

Rikal laughed. "It's nothing urgent, so I'd thought that it would be best to come down and talk with some of the Explorer hopefuls. After all, there's a chance that some of you will become my precious friends in the future." Then Rikal seemed to have a bright idea. "Say, would you three like to play a game with me?"

Apple perked up. "A game? What kind of a game?" Wow, that was a surprisingly effective motivator - hopefully, Mint would be able to remind that in the future.

"I'll tell you when we get there," Rikal answered. "But I'm glad to hear that you're interested." He looked at Mint and Violet. "And what about you two?"

"I'm up for a game," Violet said while stretching. "Might as well get some easy exercise tonight."

"And as for you, young Eevee?"

"My name is Mint Evoli." At this, Mint saw Rikal's eyes sharpen slightly. The air in the room dropped a few degrees. Apple shifted around nervously. "And what do I get out of playing the game."

Violet shot Mint a stink-eye while muttering "Rude". Mint ignored her.

Rikal, on the other hand, laughed. "I see, I see! You want something out of this!" Rikal considered this. "How about this - if you play the game and win, I'll make you Explorers on the spot!"

There was a large silence.

"Huh?" Apple was dumbfounded.

"I am a Diamond Master, young Munchlax - I have the second-highest authority in all of the Explorer Association. What's more, I have complete control over the Explorer selection process. If I want to expedite someone becoming an Explorer, I have full authority to do so." Rikal's smile then turned challenging. "And if you win this game, young Mint, you will easily deserve the position of Explorer."

"... alright, I'll bite. Let's play." Mint answered with a grin, a small competitive fire lighting in his soul.

"Excellent!" RIkal beamed. "And for the fun of it, the offer extends to you two as well, young Munchlax and Riolu!" Rikal started walking away. "Follow me - I have a room suitable for the game we're about to play."

A few minutes later, they arrived at a room spacious enough to hold everyone remaining in the exam. Rikal walked into the center of the room, holding up three strange badges. They were a pale white, with bird-like wings sprouting from both halves.

"These are Explorer badges," Rikal answered, spinning them on his finger. "You have the entire boat trip to take these from me. Once you touch these, they will turn a certain color, showing that you have become an Explorer." Rikal stated. "Normally, we would hand these to those that successfully passed all the phases of the exam, but I'm giving you three the option to take these from me. You can use any and all faculties at your disposal - though, gaining any direct help from those outside this room is forbidden."

"... so it's just a game of keep-away with our Explorer licenses, then." Violet aptly summarized. "And if we get the licenses from you, we become Explorers?"

"If you do, there's nothing I can do to stop you from becoming Explorers," Rikal nodded. "You will automatically go into the registry of active Explorers, automatically passing the test and barring you from taking it again."

Violet and Mint had a grin on their face at the thought of fast-tracking the whole ordeal. Apple, though, was much less enthusiastic, the smile slowly fading from his face.

"Um… aren't they already touching you?" Apple asked.

"You can only bond to one of these licenses once, Apple - they mark you so you can't retake the exam." Rikal released a sardonic laugh. "You kids go through enough trouble without having to worry about _actual_ Explorers beating you out to the few licenses given out." Rikal twirled the three badges around on the tips of his paw. "Any other questions? Because every second you continue asking is a second less you have to take the badges."

Mint's answer to that was a Quick Attack - he was fast enough with it to snatch the badges out of thin air.

Well, he thought he was fast enough. Before he could grasp the badges, Rikal whipped his paw out of the way of Mint's outstretched forelegs, taking the badges with him. Mint flew straight over Rikal, landing easily on his feet.

"Alright, who's next?"

But Mint wasn't finished. Now, he went in a zigzag pattern, trying to confuse Rikal before…. NOW!

Mint lunged at the badge which looked to be the farthest away from Rikal's grasp - the one he would have to expend the most effort on to protect.

Rikal stepped out of the way of the lunge. In a quick thought, Mint went for an Iron Tail, a nice follow up to the Quick Attack. Rikal blocked it with the arm holding the badges, and Mint went for them. Then Mint felt Rikal's elbow clip under his chin, sending him flying backward.

"You'll have to try a little harder than that, Mint," Rikal smiled.

Mint peeled himself from the ground, glowering. "Urgh… this isn't as easy as I thought it would be…"

Rikal just smiled harder.

Mint started circling Rikal, looking for an opening. There _seeme_d to be plenty, as if Rikal was unguarded… but that wasn't true.

It had been a while since he'd had to use this against an opponent, but Rikal was skilled enough for it to be necessary.

Mint put one foot down, then another… and then another…

As always, the technique worked. As he was in the center of the technique, he was immune to its effect, but he could see its effects in the others. Apple and Violet's eyes were unfocused - and when they came into focus again, they were looking for him. Not that they would be able to - Mirror Step was stronger than any individual's perception, Aura or not.

Mint wasn't one for using this technique - it reminded him too much of what he wanted to leave behind. But after seeing X use it earlier today, he remembered just how effective it could be, when used correctly. And here was a good place for it, regardless of how he personally felt about the technique.

But even though Apple and Violet could no longer track him, Violet trying futilely to use her Aura to find him, Rikal had his eyes locked perfectly on Mint.

"Ah… it's been a while since I've had to encounter this assassination technique." Rikal rolled his shoulders, making sure to keep the badges balanced. "Show me how strong you are with it."

Mint gritted his teeth. If Rikal could still sense him, then the whole purpose of the Mirror Step was for naught. Mirror Step was a camouflage technique, more than anything else.

Mint then tried something he never had before, on account of never needing it. As he prowled in the obfuscating Mirror Step, which cloaked him among copies, he sped up more… and more…

Still walking with the same rhythm of Mirror Step, allowing him to maintain the technique, Mint started feeding Double Teams and Agilities into his motions. Slowly, ever so slowly, Mint saw Rikal's eyes disconnect from where he was moving.

It had worked - somehow, his motion wasn't perfect enough before to affect Rikal. It had never happened before, but maybe he wasn't facing such a high caliber of an opponent before. This was much more intense, after all - and it seemed to be working, too, now that he had added the Double Team copies in addition to the Mirror Step copies and cloaked his speed with the taxing Agility.

Still, he had to find the perfect time. He kept up the Mirror Step, watched as Rikal stopped pretending to know where he is and started looking forward, and found the perfect spot to jump from - what he intuitively knew Rikal's blind spot was.

Three…

Two…

One…

Now!

With an Agility empowered Quick Attack, Mint leaped for the badges. He got closer… closer… farther… no… NO!

Somehow, Rikal had disappeared in the middle of his attack. Mint slammed into the wall, and all of his copies disappeared. He slowly slid down and fell to the floor.

"Ow… " Mint was slowly able to pick himself up.

"Are you okay?" Violet looked at him with a small degree of concern.

"Nothing more than a bruised ego." Mint shook away the sting, then looked at Rikal, who was in the exact same spot he had always been, not a hair out of place or badge unbalanced.

"How did you…" Then Mint saw it. Two scorch Mark's, each the size of a Lucario's foot, burned into the ground.

Rikal disappeared, reappearing behind him. Another scorch mark appeared, where he had been standing. "Yes, Mint. Extreme Speed."

Mint could usually see Extreme Speeds as they blurred into motion, or at least feel the wind pressure everyone else did as air was pushed aside during the action.

But there was nothing else indicating the Extreme Speed but a slight breeze - somehow, Rikal had cut through the air with his speed.

Mint then figured something else out. "You knew where I was the whole time."

Rikal laughed. "Well, I couldn't let you tire yourself out with one attack - after all, we have the whole night to play, and if you couldn't find an opening, you would never gather the courage to go for it."

Violet caught on. "So then you pretended to lose track of Mint."

Rikal just smiled. "Well, Mint? Care to try again?"

Mint's limbs were tearing at him - the sustained Agility was too taxing on him. "I think I'll rest for a while and see how you guys do against him." Mint then sat against the wall.

Mint also needed the time to think of how he was going to go for the badges again. Rikal had outclassed him in speed, so Mint had little-to-no chance of taking the badges directly. It was time for a different strategy.

"Alright, which one of you would like to try next?" Rikal had walked all the way back to the center of the room, back to where they had started. You couldn't even see the strain of Extreme Speed on him - or, rather, he had strong enough endurance that using the Extreme Speed didn't really faze him.

Apple looked at Violet. "Mind if I go next?"

"Oh, what? Uh, yeah, sure. Go ahead." Violet was busy doing some stretches, all while staring directly at Rikal. "I'll just be getting ready for my turn while you do that."

Apple turned back to Rikal, and sighed, a terse frown on his face. "Let's just get this over with, okay?"

Apple walked all the way over to Rikal, stopping when he was a few inches away. The badges loomed away, just out of reach of his arms. Apple jumped - though, since he was a Munchlax, it was a less than useless attempt. Apple could only barely get closer to the badges by jumping.

Apple sighed. "Here goes nothing." Apple rubbed his hands together, warming them up, then grabbed onto Rikal's fur.

Violet stopped stretching, and she, along with Mint, stared at Apple's attempting in vain to climb Mount Rikal. Too bad that the mountain kept on shifting its peak, though - Apple crawled over Rikal like a bug, but he just kept on moving the badges between his hands, looking more amused than anything.

"Is this your best attempt, Apple?" RIkal asked, an apologetic smile on his face. Apple answered by dropping to the floor and slamming a fist into Rikal's shin - or at least, attempting too. Rikal stepped out of the way of the strike, as well as all of the others that followed.

Then Apple stopped, before sighing and turning around. "That's it, I don't care anymore." He walked over to where Mint was resting and plopped down, pulling his corb out of his hair, fiddling with it a little. "You guys can try, I'm not going to embarrass myself anymore."

Mint sighed. "Really, Apple?"

"Yep." Apple continued fiddling with the corb, trying to see what other features it had at its disposal.

"Alright, then." Rikal smiled, turning to Violet. "Are you ready, young Riolu?"

"A minute or two, Diamond Master Rikal." Violet started stretching again. "I don't want to pull a muscle or anything."

Mint groaned. "Violet, just get on with it already!"

As Violet continued stretching, Mint felt Apple tap his shoulder. Confused, he turned around to see Apple still fiddling around with the corb but looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

"What is it, Apple?" Mint asked, a little tired as he plopped down again next to him.

"Well…" Apple was silent for a few seconds as he continued to fiddle around with his corb. "It's just that…"

"Spit it out already!"

"I'm not eating anything," Apple replied automatically, checking his mouth for food, before realizing what Mint meant. "Oh, uh… yeah." Apple put down the corb, before turning to Mint with a solemn look on his face. "Master Rikal… he said that the Mirror Step was an assassination technique…"

Mint shrugged. "Yeah, well, it is. Unless you're as skilled with it as I am, you only really ever get to pull it off once in a battle. It doesn't have innate power in it - the only way it can be used is to confuse people. And once the Mirror Step ends, they're never going to let you try it again. So you have to make that one use count."

Apple as silent for a little bit more. "I've never heard of Mirror Step - why is that?"

"Other than it only being used to kill? Mainly the fact that only criminals learn it - them, as well as thieves, outlaws, and terrorists…"

Unbidden, a memory of something he had forgotten by chance came to the forefront of his mind. Not even bothering to finish his sentence, he typed a search into Youxie as fast as he could.

"Mint?" Apple was concerned. "What are you doing?"

Mint wasn't paying attention, and as he scrolled through the results, he found it. The list of internationally recognized terrorists.

And there they were, seventh on the list. Mirror's Ghost, a homegrown Zennaixean 'militia', known for orchestrating some of the most terrible massacres to mankind…

… and their symbol. A single black hexagon.

"I think I know where X is from, at the very least," Mint finally said.

Apple looked at the results over Mint's shoulder. "What is Mirror's Ghost… oh. _Oh._" Apple looked vaguely ill. "Oh."

Mint closed the search results. The two of them stood together silently.

"I'm ready!" Violet, having not paid attention to the conversation between Apple and Mint, stood up, pumped and raring to go for her attempt at the badges. Mint tore his attention away from the worrying matter at hand and started paying attention.

"Oh, you're finally ready? Excellent!" Rikal beckoned Violet forward. "Come at me, and show me what your strength is!"

Violet pulled out her mirror. Then, strangely, the mirror started shimmering and shifting. It began extending, and soon, it had turned completely into the blade of a sword.

Mint's eyes widened. "Apple, what is that?" And how could he get his hands on one?

Apple shrugged. "I don't know," he said, bemused. "Violet can turn her mirror into a sword, along with a couple of other things."

Violet pointed the tip of the blade directly at Rikal. "Before I start… I'm allowed to do whatever I can to get one of those badges, right? Including making it so you can't protect them?" Her meaning was clear.

Rikal nodded. "You are free to do whatever you want to get the badges from me, as long as you get no direct help from anyone outside this room. That includes taking the badges off my corpse."

Violet's eyes narrowed. "You're confident… Do you think you're stronger than me?"

Rikal just smiled, a strong patronizing tint to it. "You're free to do whatever you want, Violet."

Violet said nothing else, before going in on a frontal strike. "Take this!" Violet went to slash one of Rikal's legs, and within a second, the sword connected.

It clanged against Rikal's fur, not even scratching his skin. Violet's eyes widened. Rikal whistled. "Oh… did you attack already?"

"What the… how did you block that?"

Rikal shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I was lucky and it didn't hit me at the right angle. Try again."

"With pleasure." Violet took a good look at Rikal, sized him up a little, then went for a stab at the stomach.

The tip of the blade bounced off like a rubber ball would bounce off a concrete wall. Violet went for another, striking at Rikal's shoulders. It still couldn't break through skin.

"How…?" Violet couldn't even begin to formulate the question. Rikal didn't bother answering, and instead just hummed.

Violet took the opportunity and went for a jumping slash - the tip of which would hit the badges. Mint could see the plan she was going for, though he didn't think it was actually going to work.

And sure enough, Violet's gambit failed. Rikal stopped the tip of the blade with the spike on his arm - then, in a large wrenching motion, ripped the blade from Violet's grasp.

Violet's eyes widened. "How… what?!"

Rikal took the blade with his free hand and played around with it for a bit. "Just like I remember it - nice balance, a sharp blade. It hasn't been tempered, though - I suppose that's your fault."

Violet gasped - then her eyes filled with impotent rage, and began glowing in that strange amethyst purple. "Give it back!" she roared, holding out a hand as if to grab it. The mirrorblade shook in Rikal's hand slightly, then went still. Violet's eyes widened.

Rikal idly twirled the blade on the tip of his fingers - and what should have cut him did absolutely nothing. "Violet, your experience with summoning this is lacking. It should have moved at least a little more before I had to stop it."

Violet stepped back, confused and… was that fear he was sensing. "How are you… what… only the Kain can use that blade!" She accused.

Rikal sighed, closing his eyes. "That's true, as far as I know - but that changes nothing. After all," he opened his eyes, the same shade of purple as Violet's. "I _am_ one."

Violet froze. "But… but…"

"This blade is a family heirloom that I gave back - though, you should have already known that. My grandson needs to be far more strict with his training."

Violet just looked at Rikal. "They said that you were an Explorer… but not that-"

"That I was the Diamond Master? Yes, at my request, Violet." Rikal pointed the blade right at Violet. "But that shouldn't concern you. After all, I have my favorite blade back. And you know what? I think that it's best that I keep it - after all, it seems you're no closer to mastering it than any other I've seen try."

Violet's eyes burned. "You-you're going to steal my mirror from me?!"

"Your mirror? Violet, it was mine before it was yours. It's just come back to me." Rikal then seemed to think a little bit. "But it was yours as well… alright then." Rikal clapped his hands. "I'm changing the rules. This blade is now a prize you can obtain. If you can take this blade from me with force, I will hand one of the badges to you. If you can't force it from me… well, touching the badges is still up for grabs."

Violet glared - Mint knew which one she was going for. She readied her fists, which glowed silver with Metal Claw. "I'm ready, then."

"Then let's begin." Rikal beckoned her forward. "Come at me!"

Violet charged in, and hit Rikal with a rush of Metal Claw punches. They did nothing - at which Rikal was amused. Violet jumped in the air and went for a powerful kick, which Rikal sidestepped.

"You're not doing much better-"

Violet then grabbed Rikal as he was moving and swung herself toward the badges. Rikal quickly elbowed Violet in the diaphragm as she tried to grab them - and he suffered the consequences as a result, flying back several feet as the explosion of a Counter hit him full force.

Violet smirked. "You can't go easy on me - sooner or later, I'm going to get my mirror back!"

Rikal considered her words. "Perhaps you are right." He twisted the sword in his hand. "Time to go on the offensive then."

Mint's blood froze as Rikal disappeared from view, another breeze picking up. If it wasn't for the hundreds of scorch marks near-instantly appearing on the ground as the seconds ticked by, Mint would have thought Rikal had disappeared.

Violet was holding a Counter, which was really the only thing she could do. It would protect her a little from the bite of the blade and hurt Rikal in the process.

The seconds kept on ticking by, the scorch marks kept on appearing, but Rikal had still yet to attack.

Then, for a split second, Violet's counter flickered. In that split second, Rikal appeared behind Violet, hitting her with the butt of the blade. Violet sprawled out on the ground, rolling to her feet.

Rikal jumped forward, blade swinging. Violet barely managed to dodge, and yet Rikal kept swinging, Violet escaping injury with only a hairsbreadth between her and the blade.

Then, just as Violet could barely duck under a sword swing, Rikal quickly swept her legs under her in a Low Sweep, and she tumbled to the ground in pain.

But Rikal didn't press the advantage - instead, he waited for Violet to get up. As she got up, she glared at him.

"You're still going easy on me," she accused. "You had all the time in the world for a follow-up attack, and instead you just let me get up."

"Violet, I have no desire to kill you - or even hurt you, really." He then looked at the spot where Violet fell. "But really, you _shouldn't _have fallen for that."

That served well to enrage Violet. With another scream, she was on Rikal again, alternating Quick Attacks with Metal Claws and trying to find an opening in Rikal's defenses.

"GIVE. IT. BACK!" She screamed, lunging toward the mirror with reckless abandon. Rikal easily caught Violet midair, holding her up high. Then he sighed, before throwing her away casually. Violet did a couple of flips in the air, before landing on her feet and lunging towards Rikal again.

This time, Rikal didn't even bother slashing first - instead, he just used a Power-Up Punch on Violet as she charged forward. The punch only grazed her, but it was enough to send her spinning away regardless, and the red glow that infused Rikal afterward told Mint that it only got harder for Violet.

Violet slowly pulled herself to her feet, gasping. Coughing a little bit, she looked at Rikal not with shock, but with resolve.

"You're… strong," she said, wearily pulling herself into a fighting stance - a standard kind for the Riolu line, but one that she looked wholly unpracticed with. "But… I'm… stronger!"

Violet charged in and slipped into the shoddy stance. "Now… give it back!" She howled at him, Quick Attacking in and punching Rikal in the stomach. Still, it did nothing.

Rikal looked absolutely unimpressed. The smile that he had been wearing the entire night slowly slipped away. "I thought better of you, Violet." He sighed. "If you're going to bluff like that, at least have it _worth_ something in the end."

Rikal wound his arm up for another Power-Up Punch, but before he could release it, he sensed several star-shaped projectiles coming his way. Slashing through them, he looked at Mint, who had finally decided to come into the fray."

"So, looks like you're not doing too well, huh?"

"Shut up, Mint," Violet looked at him, angrily. "This is _my_ fight - my mirror, my grandfather, my badge."

"I'd like to agree _and_ mention the fact that one of those badges is mine as well. We could take this to court, you know," Mint quipped. Then he looked at Apple. "You getting in on this?"

Apple sighed, before pulling out some rocks from Violet's bag. "I'll help from here."

"Good enough for me." Mint looked at Violet. "So?"

Violet glared at him. "Don't get in my way," she brushed him off. "This is enough of a challenge as it stands."

"Alright, _princess_."

"Will you start or not?" Apple shouted over at them.

Violet, ignoring Mint, took that chance and went in, punching the ground to make a shower of splinters. Mint found it hard to see through it, but Rikal found no such difficulty, going quickly for a powerful Aura-enhance slash toward Violet. Mint, even through the splinters, could see that Violet was going to be macerated by the blade, so he sent a large series of Swifts to shoot her out of the way before the blade could connect.

"Argh - Mint, what the hell are you doing?!"

Mint couldn't respond, as Rikal sent a series of slashes his way. Even with his trained reflexes, Mint could barely keep up - tiny little nicks and scratches were appearing all over him, faster than he could see. But more than that, Mint saw telltale signs of Rikal _holding back_.

They were all so out of their league it wasn't funny. Why had he thought that this would be _easy_?

Violet somersaulted to her feet and dashed in again, readying another punch. As he dodged Rikal's 'attack', Mint wanted to scream at her. Why was she _still_ going for basic attacks, instead of trained techniques or powerful attacks that will _probably_ do some damage? And why was she just doing the same attack over and over again?!

Then, right as Mint was about to suffer a particularly costly blow, a saving grace arrived. A rock, thrown with a large degree of precision, hit the blade as it was coming down. It didn't stop it or even slow it down, but it diverted the blade just enough so that the damage to Mint was minimized.

Rikal didn't even stop for a moment. Switching targets, he went for Apple, who was quickly put on the backfoot as Rikal started an all-out assault.

Not even stopping to take a breath, Mint rushed toward Violet, who was slowly picking herself up. Large injuries littered her body, which was a testament to her resolve, as well as her stupidity.

"Violet, what the hell are _you _doing?" Mint finally replied. "You're acting like a _feral_! Pull yourself together and help me think of a strategy while Apple holds him off!" Apple holding Rikal off meant getting pummeled in their place, but Mint knew that Apple could take a beating.

Violet brushed him off. "He's mine, so-"

"He's _yours_? Are you even listening to yourself?!" Mint couldn't even begin to understand how Violet was getting under his skin this badly. "Stop acting like an edgy comic book villain and help me think of a plan!"

Violet coldly ignored him, intending to slowly walk up to Rikal and throw a (weak) punch. But before she could go anywhere, Mint stopped her.

"Let me go, Mint." She stated, slowly pulling him along. Mint put the brakes on that, making Violet strain with exhaustion, before failing altogether.

"Violet, _look_ at yourself," Mint said coldly.

Violet grimaced. "I don't need your sarcasm, Mint. I _need_ to get over there and get my mirror back!"

"And how? You clearly can't beat him!"

Violet turned to him, furious. "Like _hell_ I can't!"

"How well have you been doing until now? You haven't even been able to land a scratch on him!"

"Neither have you!"

"Yeah, well, at least I'm not fumbling around blindly like you are!"

Violet sneered. "So what's _your_ plan, then?!"

Mint opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "That's what I was asking _you_ for!"

Violet brushed off her shoulder. "Well, if you have no better idea, then I'll take back my mirror right now!"

She turned back to Rikal… but he was gone. All that was left was Apple, too bruised to move.

"Where… where is he?!" They both checked the floor for any scorch marks appearing, but there were none.

"He's… left." Mint said out loud, once it was clear that Rikal wasn't going to return.

"He just _left_?" Violet roared in anger and anguish. "He took my mirror and just _left_?!"

Violet, ignoring Apple entirely, ran to the door and rushed out, intending to catch up to Rikal.

"Violet, where are you going?"

Violet peeked back in, a frustrated grimace on her face. "Mint, so help me, if you're going to delay me from getting my mirror back-"

Mint, ignoring what Violet was saying, went and picked up Apple, struggling a little to carry his weight. "Do you mind helping me a little bit? It'll be hard to carry him myself."

Whatever Violet was about to say was interrupted by a groan, as Apple opened his eyes. "Ugh… everything hurts…"

"Can you stand up?" Mint was eager to get the weight off his back.

"I'll try." Mint dropped Apple to the ground, upon which he collapsed. "Never mind…"

Mint sighed. "What happened?"

"I was trying to hold him off to let you guys get something off. But when you guys started arguing, Rikal just left. I don't think he was having fun anymore… I don't think anyone was."

Violet walked back in. "This is all your fault, Mint," she accused, even as she went to help Apple up. "If you let me go for him, this wouldn't have happened. But _you _wanted to slow me down, and this is the result."

Mint sighed. "Violet, you can't beat him."

Violet froze. "What?"

"Every single attack you - no, we - tried failed and backfired. Even before we started 'working together', you couldn't even touch him. None of us are skilled or strong enough to win the game."

"I'm sure that I-"

Mint walked up to Violet and poked her in an ugly bruise. Violet winced. Mint poked her again, in a different bruise. Violet winced again. Mint went for another bruise, but Violet jumped back.

"Do you still want to go for it?" Mint asked her. "Because those bruises are new, and I'm sure Rikal will he more than willing to give you more if you go bother him "

Violet glared at Mint for a second, but as he looked back, she turned her gaze to another bruise. Violet tapped it and winced again.

"... fine." Violet said, before walking up to the prone Apple. "Let's take him up to Clarity for healing." Mint and Violet both grabbed him and heaves him on their shoulders. Apple had fallen unconscious again.

As they walked through the darkened hallways of the ship, Violet sighed. "This… this is humiliating." Mint knew she wasn't talking about carrying Apple.

"Yeah… it is…"

They were silent for a second.

"I'll get it back," Violet vowed, eyes burning purple. "Rikal is strong… and I can become stronger."

'Can become'... not 'am'.

"So you're going to train?"

"I'll find the best teachers, and I'll convince them to make me stronger. I'll grow strong enough to take the mirror back, with force. That will be my dream, as an Explorer." Violet wasn't shouting or loud like she usually was. Instead, she said it with quiet certainty.

Mint sighed. "You probably will." Then he smiled ruefully. "And I bet that we're going to have to help you with that."

Violet smiled. "Of course."

…

…

…

"I'm sorry," she eventually said.

"For what?"

"Pulling my arm, aren't you?" Violet snarled. "... but… I'm sorry… for fighting with you. It wasn't the best time."

Mont said nothing. "Start planning things out and stop rushing in, and we'll call it even."

"... sure."

* * *

*_STARTING TRANSMISSION_*

"Did you manage to take any samples, agent?"

"What, no hello?"

"Agent... "

"Hehehe… sadly, no. He was too well guarded - I thought I had a chance during the original phase two, but instead, I may have raised his suspicions instead."

"Be more careful, agent. After all, no one knows what he can do if you provoke him."

"Death?"

"Death is a mercy, not a punishment. He can do worse to you than kill you."

"I see."

"On other news, how has the exam been so far?"

"Simple. The training you put me through is far worse than anything that Alcremie **** can come up with."

"Excellent, though. That _is _because of our excellent training regiments."

"Anyway, what are the new orders?"

"Don't send any new communications within the next three or so days - the next phase will take place in a connectortapped building. Try to take the sample at that time. You'll have another chance in the subsequent phase, but you'll probably be watched then by an official, so taking the sample will next to impossible."

"Got it, Director."

*_ENDING TRANSMISSION_*

* * *

**Yeah, a new chapter. Surprise surprise, when you have a good four or so chapters saved up, it becomes easy to publish them one after another. If anyone has made it this far, I have to praise you. My prose isn't that interesting to read, as far as I can tell.**

**So see you soon!**


	6. Minority Decision, Part 1

Taller than any skyscraper. That was Violet's first thought when she saw the magnificent tower that stood before them all. Yet, it wasn't made of metal like other skyscrapers were - instead, it was made of rock, limestone if Clarity's whispers were anything to go by.

All fifty of them stood at the base of the tower. Five minutes earlier, the Indeedee who had given them their badges had brought them to the base of the tower. Then, in a few words, he started the third phase of the exam.

"The examiner is at the top. Scale the tower in whatever fashion you wish to get to him. Once you have scaled the tower, you will have completed the third phase. You have ten hours before we move on to the next phase, with or without you." The Indeedee offered one last smile. "Thank you, and good luck."

With that, the Indeedee disappeared with a pop, having been teleported away by the nearby Beheeyem.

The four of them convened to figure out a way to get to the top.

"So, what's our best way forward," Apple asked, with Clarity making sure that they were out of earshot of any of their competitors. "I don't think I can climb up the tower as it is."

Violet turned to Clarity. "Can you build some sort of machine to help him up - like, a personal elevator or something?"

Clarity looked pensive. "Maybe," she said. "But it would use a lot of power and I don't think that any of the things I have can support Apple's weight for long."

Mint then pointed something out. "Apple, you might want to rethink climbing the tower directly."

"Um… why…?" Apple looked at the part of the tower that reached towards the sky. "I mean, I don't _want _to climb the tower, but it looks like it's possible. See those Passimian climbing it right… now…"

Violet grimaced when she saw what ha made Apple trail off. The Passimian - the ones that had tried to take the scooter from Clarity yesterday - had been scaling the tower when, out of nowhere, a blurred shape shot out from behind one of the clouds. With a quick swipe, it lunged toward the Passimian and snatched them from the side of the tower, quickly flying off with them. The four of them watched as the flying creature - because it didn't look like any Pokemon that Violet recognized or had ever seen recorded - flapped far, far away from the tower

"'Why'? That's 'why', Apple." Mint sighed. "There has to be another way up the tower, one that doesn't involve climbing it or flying." The other participants had already realized this and were searching around the large base of the tower for any sort of clue that could help them reach the top. "So… any ideas?"

There was silence for a few seconds. Then Clarity piped up. "Well, I do have _one_ idea."

"Yeah?"

"If we have to get to the top of the tower, and we can't fly up, climb up, or teleport up, then we'll have to find some other way up."

"Right… Clarity, we already knew that."

"Mint, please." Clarity shook her head. "As I was saying, there aren't any conventional ways to get up the tower, but unless this is some sort of trick phase (which _could_ be a possibility, but right now the tower's all we have to go on), there has to be at least _one_ \- Charmil got in trouble for nearly failing everybody."

Mint groaned. "Go faster, please."

"_Anyway_, unless the way up the tower is in the forest," she gestured to the woods surrounding them. "Or the sea, the way up the tower will be in the tower itself."

Violet crossed her arms. "So you're saying that there might be a secret way inside the tower, Clarity," she summarized. "Now, here's the million Berry riddle - how does that help us?"

In response, Clarity started walking to the tower, gesturing Violet over. Violet rolled her eyes but went along. Mint and Apple, after looking at each other for a few seconds, followed suit.

"Violet, punch the wall." Clarity commanded, pressing an ear to the side of the tower.

Violet raised her eyebrows. "Why?"

"Shockwaves for echolocation - you know, to enhance my hearing. Now do it, we don't have any time to waste!" Violet sighed but did as Clarity asked, taking only a second to wind her fist before striking the wall. A tiny bit of dust fell from the tower, and Clarity's eyes widened.

After about ten seconds, Clarity peeled herself from the wall, before lying on the ground, and putting her ear to it as well. She opened her mouth to speak, but Violet beat her to it by striking the ground. Clarity's commands died on her lips as she listened intently.

Then she got up. "Good news and bad news, guys."

"Good news," Apple quickly asked.

"The tower is hollow, with stairs lining the inside. The phase is legitimate, and the way up's from the inside."

"And the bad news," Mint was quick to ask.

"There aren't any opening in the walls."

Violet held up a fist. "Then we punch our way through."

"Wouldn't they think of that and try to _stop_ you?"

"It's worth a shot - and there aren't any explicit rules against it, after all." Before Clarity or anyone else could say anything, Violet went over to the wall, charged a Metal Claw, then let it loose. Her first connected, but there wasn't even a scratch on the wall.

Violet frowned, before striking the tower again, but harder. Like before, her fist did absolutely nothing, the tower just as pristine as before.

"Looks like you don't have the power needed to break into there, Violet." Clarity remarked.

Violet's eyes flashed. "I have plenty of power." Then, to prove her statement, Violet unleashed a Metal Claw Rush on the tower, striking it as hard and fast as she dared. She would make something happen - she'd break into this tower if it was the last thing she did!

Five minutes later, no dent or opening had yet been created. Violet would have kept going, if it wasn't for Clarity, Apple, and Mint looking at each other for a second, nodding, and then each taking one of Violet's limbs to stop her from hitting the tower.

"Let me go!" Violet shouted, despairing. "I have to do this-"

"Violet, we don't have the time!" Clarity interrupted. "The wall is too thick to break through even by normal means, and you can't even make a dent on it right now! We have to try another method!"

"But-"

At this, Mint shot her a pointed look. "Remember last night?"

Violet opened her mouth, closed it again, opened it, closed it, then went limp. The three of them let her go, but Violet made no more motions toward the tower, staring at it with unearthly hate.

"You know, none of you said what you fought last night." Clarity remarked, a little annoyed. "So can someone tell me what's going on?"

"We got curb-stomped," Mint said irritatingly.

Violet ground her teeth. "We were too weak - a battled a genuine, bona fide Explorer, and got our asses handed to us. He stole my mirror as a _trophy_ of the moment."

"Technically, it was his to begin-" Mint started saying, but at this point, Violet stood up, turning her fists into Metal Claws, and flexing them. She stopped paying attention to what he was saying a while ago.

Already, she knew something that she could work on - her Metal Claws. They failed her last night, and they're failing her now - and they would fail her no longer.

"Um, Mint?" Apple coughed, bringing Violet back to reality. "Can we start talking about _this_ phase - like, how we're going to find a way inside?"

Mint turned. "Sure - what are we going to do?"

"I have more good news and bad news," Clarity answered, to which Mint groaned again. "While there aren't any openings to the tower from the tower itself, I noticed some tunnels leading to the bottom of the tower. There are about… 60 of them, leading in all sorts of directions away from the tower."

"And the bad news?"

"They twist and tangle badly, and a couple of them go even further underground, so I don't know how to get into them."

Violet stretched, feeling a little pumped up from her vow. "Well, we have an idea as to where we can go through step 1 from, at the very least."

"Mind filling us in?" Clarity asked.

Violet grinned impishly. "You'll have to wait and see."

* * *

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the sea which bordered the island they were on. Violet walked to the seashore, where five perfectly cut stones stood.

"Alright, this is pretty conspicuous," Mint admitted. "But what makes you think that this is the way forward, and not, say, a coincidence or a trap?"

Violet went over to one of the stones and pushed it. Slowly, ever so slowly, she dragged it away from its original spot, revealing a perfectly square hole inside, the walls the same kind of rock as the tower.

"Alright, not a coincidence. But it still could be a trap" Mint countered.

"Well. Clarity and I will be the judge of that." Violet back from the seashore to dry land, and started winding her fist. "Clarity, you know what to do."

Luckily, Clarity was quick on the uptake and put her ear to the ground. As Mint and Apple watched, Violet struck the ground, with Clarity listening closely. The ground vibrated a little bit, but it didn't seem to bother Clarity as she continued listening.

After a few seconds, she got up. "It wasn't too clear," she began saying. "But I _think_ that some of the tunnels from the tower lead here, though it wasn't clear. Something underground is connected to the pits below the stones."

"So it could still be a trap," Mint summarized.

"Mint, every entrance could be a trap. Right now, this is our best option for entering the tower on time."

Mint sighed. "I guess you're right," he admitted. "But I'd still like to send a scout or something instead."

"What scout?" Clarity asked pointedly. "Even though I have the stuff we need for that," she patted her case full of materials. "We'd still need time to build all of it, and time is the one restriction we have."

"And the flying monsters aren't?!"

"They're obstacles - obstacles we don't have any real way of passing, but obstacles nonetheless. The Indeedee said, _out loud_, that we have only ten hours, and the longer we stand around here talking, the less time we'll have."

"Ten hours _is_ a lot of time," Mint reminded her.

Clarity started walking to the rocks atop the pits, and she, along with Violet, started pushing them off. "We've already…*grunt*... spent thirty or so…*grunt*... minutes just _talking._" Clarity said between large shoves. "And who knows… *grunt*... how long it'll take… *grunt*... to go through the… *grunt*... tunnels, or the tower."

Together, she and Clarity had pushed the first of the blocks.

"Okay, then why are you pushing all of those blocks?" Mint asked. "Don't we need to push away only one?"

Clarity and Violet stopped pushing.

"Amateurs," he moaned, before walking down to the first pit and looking down. Then we walked across the seashore until he found a particularly heavy rock, and dropped it into the pit.

Violet raised her eyebrow. "Mint, what are you doing?"

"Testing to see if there are pressure or motion traps - and from the looks of it, there aren't any." Mint winked. "Wish me luck!" Then he jumped into the pit - and it closed behind him.

Violet, Clarity, and Apple rushed to the pit - or where the pit was, as it was now covered in sand. Violet quickly scraped it away, revealing under it a cover made of the same material as the tower.

Clarity leaned down to the cover. "Mint, can you hear me?"

"A little!" Mint's muffled voice replied. "It was a heat-sensing trap or something! I _knew _something was up!"

"Didn't stop you from jumping in anyway!" Violet cheekily replied, eliciting a muffled groan from Mint and a snicker from Apple. "Go on ahead - if that was all the trap did, then it was probably to stop us from following you!"

"Gee, thanks!" Mint snarked back. "Great to know _I'm_ the scout." Mint's grumblings grew softer and softer as he (apparently) disappeared.

Violet and Clarity then heard a small rumbling sound next to them and turned to see Apple pushing another of the rocks away, revealing yet another pit. He huffed a little bit, then turned to Violet and Clarity. "Well, want to help me with the last one?"

Violet shrugged. "Sure." Then she, together with Apple (and Clarity, who joined them after ten seconds of deliberation), pushed the final rock away from the last pit. There _was_ the fifth rock, but there was no point since there were only four of them.

"On three, let's jump in," Violet commanded.

"Aye-aye captain!" Apple saluted, to which Clarity tried (and failed) to hide her giggles.

Violet smiled. "Feels like we're back on the ship, huh. Let's hope there aren't any more Gyarados, eh?"

And with that, she took a deep breath and jumped into her pit, Apple and Clarity following not seconds afterward.

She dropped five meters or so into the ground, hearing the _shunk_ of the top of the pit closing behind her. There was little light in her tunnel, but that didn't matter to her, as her aura senses could more than make up for it.

"Mint? Apple? Clarity? Can any of you hear me?" Her voice echoed around in the tunnel, but there was no response. The tunnel was probably soundproof on the sides, to prevent the different participants from communicating with each other. If so, then she'd have to go through this next phase alone.

And that was a strangely daunting prospect, not because of the difficulty (which she was slowly getting accustomed to, not as easy as she'd hoped but not as difficult as she imagined) but because of the loneliness in doing the task. Nine and a half hours, completely isolated from others…

Violet shook herself off. Now wasn't the time to think about such things. They had shown time and time again that they were competent - Violet was confident she'd see them at the top of the tower. For now, she had to make her way to the tower - and as the previous phases had shown, she'd need her full attention, unless she wanted to die an unfortunate death like others in the previous phases.

Pricking her ears and keeping her sense of balance steady, Violet walked forward. Mint had been right - there was no telling if there were traps or not here. The examiners forced them to find their way forward this time, so any of the obstacles would have to be put in key locations in the tunnels. And since no obstacle had _shown_ itself yet… it was probably hidden.

So Violet was going to walk slowly - _very_ slowly. Not so slowly that she would risk wasting time, but slowly enough to remain cautious.

Ten minutes later, she had made it some way into the tunnel when she encountered a door, set cleanly into the tunnel. It was remarkably like the door to a back's vaults, only with a doorknob instead of the safe lock. Violet grabbed her purple scarf, wound it around her hand to stop the spread of any poison that might be spread on the doorknob, and pulled it open.

Three people were waiting for her - Apple, Clarity, and Mint. They looked up and saw her. "Took you long enough," Mint complained while stretching. "So now we only have to wait for one more person, then."

Violet was a little confused for a few seconds - then she saw that four other tunnels led to this room, three of them open while the fourth and final remained closed. Away from all four tunnels was a locked door that led closer to the tower, with a basket containing two watches next to it. Above the door and basket read instructions:

_**Welcome, prospective Explorers!**_

_**For the rest of this phase, you will be using these watches as voting booths. Use the watches to make decisions, as a group, for the obstacles that lay ahead.**_

_**You may not continue until there are five of you**_**.**

Violet looked back at Mint and saw a watch on his leg. Similar watches adorned Apple and Clarity's arms.

Voting… what a banal method of making decisions. To put your decisions in the hands of the masses - though, except for Apple, she knew that they were trustworthy and intelligent.

But it wasn't like she had a choice in the first place, anyway. The way forward was obstructed otherwise. Violet walked forward, sighed, then slipped one of the watches on. With the small click, the other three watches had a light click on.

"So, one more watch, then," Violet said, before looking at the final watch. She went to grab it - but once she touched it, her watch gave her a shock.

"Sh-" Violet barely managed to stop a curse from escaping her lips. "What the hell happened?"

"I tried that too," Mint replied. "It's probably to stop is from going early or having our vote count double. One watch for each person, no cheating." Mint's voice was irritated and sarcastic. Slowly, Violet's grimace turned into a grin.

"You tried it yourself, didn't you?"

Mint coughed. "Whether I did or didn't is none of your business." Embarrassment radiated from him. Violet's grin grew further - she was going to hold this over him for as long as she could.

Clarity, meanwhile, sat down and crossed her legs. "So, in other words, we're pretty much stuck here for the rest of the phase unless someone comes and makes a group of five with us."

"So we wait?" Apple asked.

Clarity nodded. "We wait."

"Oh, okay - then, can you help me with my corn? I'm wondering if mine is bugged."

Clarity raised an eyebrow on it. "You mean you think you have a listening device on your corb?"

"Well… yeah," Apple admitted. "I don't trust the guy who gave this to me, so…"

Clarity held out a hand. "Toss it over here and I'll take a look at it - though, I thought you didn't have a corb."

"I, uh, got one on the ship. One of the crew members lost it and I, uh, didn't give it back." Apple's hesitance, coupled with his chaotic aura, led Violet to think he was lying - and judging from Clarity's face, she heard so from his heart.

Violet stepped forward, ready to ask some (potentially) important questions, but then felt a paw on her shoulder.

"Don't," Mint whispered. "It's not that important. Just let Clarity get rid of any bugs on the corb, and forget about it."

Violet narrowed her eyes. "How big is this secret that you and Apple are sharing."

"Not that big, but it's important to Apple and related to how he got that corb… so _drop_ it." Mint's eyes narrowed, as the air grew frosty.

Violet stared back, not intimidated in the least. But, eventually, she looked away. "I'll find out eventually," she said.

And it wasn't even about the secret, anyway. Knowing Apple, he probably thought that the corb of one of their competitors was some food or something and ate it, before crapping it out a while later. Apple was simple like that - but now they raised a challenge, whether they knew it or not, and Violet intended to find out.

But for now… Violet sat down and began to 'relax'.

* * *

"One hundred and nine!" Violet's fist shot straight forward, impacting the wall. A little more dirt was displaced this time, compared to the more recent punches, but there wasn't even a scratch in the wall.

Violet rubbed her hand, which was stinging from all of the times she slammed her fist into the wall and glared at the wall in annoyance. "Stupid wall…" she muttered under her breath.

The wall did not reply.

"Violet, give it a rest," Mint said, idly amusing himself by spinning one of Clarity's… tops? It didn't look like much of a top to her, but Mint was still playing with it nonetheless.

Violet frowned. "Well, I'm _sorry_ that I'm trying to use this time productively - you know, for _training_ \- instead of wasting it laying about!"

"Violet, you're exhausting yourself," Mint drawled. "As I said, relax - after all we don't know when someone is going to come through that door."

"Like anyone is going to come through," Violet snarked back. "It's almost been two hours since the phase started, and we've been waiting here for an hour. Every other competitor is either dead or halfway up the tower by now!"

"And?"

"_And_? What more is there to _say_?" Violet raged. "I don't know about you, but needing five participants together, at the same time, is asking for way too much!"

"It _was_ a pretty obvious puzzle," Mint pointed out. "Maybe there are a few stragglers that we can carry to victory, as long as they have the common sense to find us."

"But that's the problem!" Violet continued. "They'd need to figure it out, and if they were smart enough to do that then they'd take one of the other tunnels instead of this one!"

Mint, though, had decided to start ignoring her in favor of the spinning machine part Clarity had given him. With a sigh, Violet sat down, feeling a little exhausted.

"Look, Violet," Clarity walked over to her, closing the book she was reading. "I know you're frustrated, but-"

"I'm _not_ frustrated." Violet denied. "I'm just… I want to get moving, to do _something_ productive, and waiting around isn't productive at all." Violet made to get up, but Clarity pushed her down. "Clarity, let go-"

Clarity had put her hand over Violet's mouth and slipped a Berry into her mouth. Violet, in the middle of shouting, stopped and accidentally chewed on the Berry. Before she knew what she was doing, she continued chomping on the Berry until it was nothing but pulp in her mouth. She slowly swallowed, feeling how dry her throat was.

"Do you… have more?"

Clarity held out a hand, and Apple rolled her a few more berries. She held them out to Violet, who ate them greedily. Then Clarity passed a bottle of water to her, which Violet slowly drank.

Violet wiped her lips. "I… "

"Was hungry, and as a result, really, _really_ cranky. Violet, when was the last time you ate?"

She hadn't eaten this morning - she was too busy napping to have enough energy for the phase. She didn't have dinner last night - or for the entire day yesterday.

"... the day before the exam started," Violet said at last. "We had a small snack for breakfast."

"So, since you've had nothing else to eat for the past two or three days…" Clarity led on.

Violet scowled. "I've gone longer than a week without food, Clarity. Three days is nothing to-" Violet found another handful of Berries stuffed into her mouth. She automatically chomped down on it again and moaned, savoring the sweet taste of the Berries.

"No matter how long you think you can go without food, you are a living pokemon, which means you need food like the rest of us. So eat up," Clarity piled the rest of the Berries she had with her in Violet's lap. "Or I'll force-feed you more."

"You wouldn't be able to."

"Try me - after all, I did it before."

"That's because I was distracted," Violet mumbled grudgingly, before sitting down nonetheless and eating the berries.

At the same time, she was kicking herself. She was taking the hardest exam in the world - and even though she was talented, she had to give her best. Last night she didn't plan or think ahead, today she was mistreating her body. Both times someone had to help her out of it.

She took a few more sips of water as her body relaxed. Hopefully, someone would come - if not, she at least had a few months to prepare for the next, and a goal to strive towards.

Then there was a rumbling, and every shot out of their seats. Violet checked the watch - nothing had changed. The phase was still going on as normal. The rumbling continued for a few seconds.

Violet finished off a Berry and handed the rest to Apple, who looked grateful. "Be on your guard - someone has pushed open the last stone." The aura that Violet was sending was coming closer, ever so slowly. This wasn't an amateur.

"I can barely - _barely _\- hear their footsteps," Clarity whispered back. Mint didn't take his eyes off the last closed door and had set himself in a position that he could jump to any corner of the room at will.

"Guys, I think you're overreacting," Apple rolled his eyes. "They probably want to pass as much as we do."

None of them lowered their guards.

The door slowly opened. Everyone but Apple grew tense.

"Why hello there!"

Violet blinked. A Greninja, female going by voice, opened the door wide and started looking around.

"There aren't any traps, so far as we know," Apple seemed to get what the Greninja was looking for pretty easily. He then pointed to the watch in the basket. "That's for the phase."

"Got it!" The Greninja chirped, before sliding the watch on with ease. She admired it for a second, before turning to them and bowing. "Nice to meet you! I'm Tsuki Gekoga!"

Then a tinny voice came from the watch, making them all jump. "_All watches have been placed on unique individuals. You may continue." _And the door leading onward slid open.

As they walked, Apple cheerily explaining what to Tsuki the things they had learned so far about the tower (Violet wanting to make him _shut up_ before he said something crucial), Clarity sidled up to Violet and started walking alongside her.

"What should we do about her?" Clarity whispered - and as she spoke, Tsuki's head turned slightly, her aura giving off a strange spike that Violet couldn't quite read.

"We leave her alone," Violet said brusquely. "We make sure she doesn't sabotage us, though I'm not expecting that to happen."

"Why not?" Mint asked, joining in - and the fact that he knew there was a conversation happening in the first place said something for the 'secrecy' of the whole matter. "She's as dangerous anyone else is."

"Yeah, but this whole phase - at least for us - is reliant on teamwork. If any tasks need more than one person, then she'd be shooting herself in the foot."

"Yeah," Tsuki piped up. "If I want to get rid of you and still pass, it would have to be after all of the teamwork bits - and then it would be a four-on-one." Tsuki winded up her arms. "And honestly, I'd like to see how I'd do."

Tsuki then shrugged. "And hey, maybe we could be friends? It's not like it isn't a possibility - after all, you guys are friends, right?"

The three of them looked at each other. "Uh… sure." Violet wasn't entirely sure Mint was _on_ their side, for a fact - while he enjoyed their presence, Violet saw him eye Clarity's scooter more often than Clarity herself. Apple was gluttonous, disgustingly so, and Clarity… was nice, she supposed. She was helpful, that's for sure.

"Oh, all of you are sticks in the mud!" Tsuki walked forward and turned a corner, whistling as she did so. "This is the Explorer's Exam - this will be our crowning achievement, our _renaissance_!"

"What does 'renaissance' mean?" Apple asked them out loud, scratching his head.

"Rebirth or something, I'm not sure," Clarity whipped out a corb to check. "That's going off memory, though - the corb doesn't have any connections in here."

"Oh… wouldn't we have to die first for it to be a rebirth?"

"Then we would be Ghost types, Apple," Mint added. "So I think our types will change as well. I've always wanted to become a 'Phasmeon'."

"Really? I've never heard of a Phasmeon." A few seconds ticked by, and Apple realized. "Oh, you were… never mind."

"Hey, guys, here's the first task!" Tsuki rushed back, grinning. "Come see!"

Caution heavy in their steps, they slowly walked (or tried to run in Apple's case, it was the same speed either way) to where Tsuki was gesturing. They arrived at a room with two doors, one leading to the left (having a picture of a Pikachu going up a staircase on it) and the other going right (with a picture of a Pikachu going down a staircase).

Above them, a projector-corb flashed a hologram in front of them:

_**Prospective Explorers!**_

_**Choose the path you wish to go on! When you have chosen the path you wish to go on, input the choice on the watch! One of the doors will unlock once everyone has chosen, based on the number of tallies for the door. You may confer with others for your decision, however, all votes must be kept private.**_

_**Good luck!**_

"I say we go left," Apple immediately decided. "It seems like the natural direction to go in."

Mint raised an eyebrow. "Why left? It's just as likely as right is, after all."

Apple pointed to the picture on the left door, of a Pikachu going up. "That Pikachu is going up, right? That means that the path will head up, and we want to go up to the tower, so we go left."

Dead silence.

"Apple," Violet began. "That logic is… 'okay?'… at best."

"It's idiotic," Mint deadpanned with much more candor. "That could easily be a trap designed to lure in people who think in as simple ways as you do."

Apple frowned. "Well, _maybe_ the one to the right leads to a dead-end, huh? Maybe the examiners are thinking like _you_ are, and want us to go to the right and waste time!"

Clarity rolled her eyes. "Apple, we could go through this all day. I agree with Mint since the tunnels were shallow in the underground. Going up will lead to the surface way too early - it'll be a trap instead of the tower."

"Well, _I _agree with Apple," Tsuki nodded toward a now-beaming Apple. "A _single _trick is too obvious - it has to be a double trick! And hey, maybe the pictures aren't related at all - maybe they're there to fool us!"

Mint scoffed. "Maybe," he admitted. "But your reasoning behind it is flawed nonetheless."

Clarity walked up to Violet. "What do you think?"

Violet shrugged. "Honestly… though I can see both sides of the argument, I'm going to have to agree with you and Mint." She said, making Clarity beam and Mint smirk. Tsuki frowned, and Apple looked betrayed. "It's not that I don't trust you, Apple, it's just that Clarity's height of the tunnel argument makes much more sense than the mind games you and Tsuki are insistent the examiners are playing."

Tsuki glared at her. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to go with the left, just like Apple said. I trust him more than I trust any of you," she retorted.

Apple looked at Tsuki, then back at Violet. "I'm sorry, but I'll go with my gut, and my gut says to go to the left."

Mint shrugged. "Sure, go ahead. There's three of us to the two of you, so you'll be outvoted." Mint tapped his watch, and the screen lit up. Violet tried to see what he picked, but it disappeared as soon as it came. Clarity soon did the same.

Apple gave Violet one last begging look, then put his decision in his watch. Tsuki looked at Violet… smiled… then input her own choice into the watch.

With a bit of reluctance, Violet looked at her watch, saw the two figures on the doors, and picked the one with the Pikachu going down the stairs.

And the door on the left opened.

There was a pregnant silence in the room. Apple, who had previously been looking sad, was now happy. "Violet, you chose the left door after all!" Tsuki, who was next to him, knowingly smiled.

Violet felt her mouth go dry. "I… no, I…"

Mint was shooting her a stink-eye - but that was normal for him, he did it for all sorts of reasons, he was that kind of person. Clarity sighed and shook her head. "_Really_, Violet? Apple's begging had _that_ much of an effect on you?"

"Let's keep moving!" Apple enthused, running as fast as he could to the left door. "Come on, we don't have that much time to waste!" Then he ran into the pathway.

Tsuki took another look at them. "Well, I don't want to keep him waiting! The last one to Apple was a rotten egg!" Then she sped off, going in the left pathway.

Mint sighed. "Look, Violet, I get that we don't get along, but don't make stupid decisions just to spite me, it's just immature." He then ran off to catch up with the other two.

Clarity was looking at Violet with a perplexed look on her face.

"I… I didn't choose left, okay?" Violet began, only for Clarity to raise an eyebrow. "I'm not lying - the others must have chosen differently. Mint probably chose differently to make me look like an idiot or something."

Clarity rolled her eyes. "Sure." She then started walking off, muttering words under her breath Violet couldn't quite catch. Violet wordlessly followed her, not sure what happened.

She _had_ made the choice to go to the right, but the door on the left had opened instead. Either the watches had failed or _someone_ lied about which watch button they pressed.

The obvious answer was Tsuki, who was not a part of their 'group', as it were - except that Tsuki said she was going to pick left - which was the _winning_ side. Why would someone lie about pressing the button that won? The only people that could lie about what they would pick and have it _matter_ were Mint and Clarity, who _said_ they would pick right, but might have picked left - but _why_ would they do that?

Violet rubbed her head, looking at the group from behind with distrust (except for Apple, Apple was a horrible liar no matter which way you sliced it. You could _trust_ him not to lie to you successfully). Who was the liar, the manipulator?

Violet looked at her watch. Maybe…

"Violet?!" Apple called, bringing her to her senses. "Come on, it's been two hours already, we don't have to waste!"

"Coming!" Violet called, shaking herself of her worries. She'd figure it out later - for now, they had to get moving.

It took a minute or two for Violet to catch up, her thoughts that deep. But eventually, she arrived… but not in another room.

It took her a few seconds to realize, but when she did, she smiled. Using her senses, she felt a distinct lack of life and aura above her, in a perfectly circular area the size of the base of the tower.

They were there, at the base of the tower. No, they were _inside_ the tower - now they had to scale it.

Below them was a large chasm, which went several hundred feet further underground. At the very bottom, Violet could barely see a door peeking out - that must be for another tunnel, or the tunnel they had just taken. It was comforting, in a strange sort of way, to know that there was a way out from the bottom if they survived the long, long drop.

Right in the middle of a chasm was a small circular pillar. Twenty meters across, it was large enough for many tasks that they would have to do, assuming that the pillar was needed for the task. There weren't any doors, though, so Violet didn't know exactly what they would have to do if this was a task in the phase.

Then, at the opposite end of the chasm, a section of the wall slid open, and five Pokemon walked out - a Golurk, a Lampent, a Tyranitar, a Dusclops, and a Sylveon. All of them tensed, seeing the five Pokemon look at them with a casual sort of disinterest.

Then, from some unknown location, a tinny voice started blaring out. "_These are maximum-security inmates from the Erebus Correctional Facility_." Everyone tensed - the Erebus Correctional Facility, the ECF, was the strongest, most secure prison in the known world. Only the most dangerous or notorious worldwide criminals were sent there - and if they were maximum security…

Violet's hand tightened into fists. They _were_ upping the danger level of the exam - from Mystery Dungeons in the first phase to a den filled with hundreds of competing participants and mother Tyranitars, to maximum-security inmates from the world's most notorious prison. This would be another test of her abilities - she would do _excellently_ on this, to make up for previous mistakes.

"_These inmates will be the ones you will be fighting against for this task. Each of you will go one-on-one against these inmates in predetermined tasks. If you succeed where the inmate fails, you will get a point. If the inmate defeats you in the task, they will get a point. The points will be tallied and used to determine whether you go on or not. Once a team reaches three points, the tasks will end and the ultimate victor will be decided. If your team loses, you five will be forced to stay here for the rest of the task - you will fail the exam. The inmates, meanwhile, will have their sentences cut by a decade for every hour that they slow you down. Only if you win will you be allowed to continue. Is that clear?_"

The rules were simple enough for Violet to understand - first to three points wins, you get a point for winning a bout. A simple enough contest, though one that could potentially be rather dangerous.

"Understood," she said out loud. The others made similar sounds of understanding.

"_Then may the task begin."_

From both sides of the chasm, two bridges shot out, connecting both them and the inmates to the circular pillar in the center - an arena, Violet now realized. The Golurk walked across the bridge and entered the arena.

"Contestants!" The Golurk shouted, stamping an earthen foot on the ground and creating a rack of weapons to appear on both halves of the arena. "Summon your champion to face me in gladiatorial combat! You have five minutes, or I will pick your champion for you!"

On their watches, a countdown started, ticking down from five minutes.

Mint immediately spoke up. "I'm not facing that guy, not if I can help it. That's Bruciatus - the Ghostly Gladiator. He was part of an underground gladiatorial fighting ring in Dhianna, and would regularly kill the opponents he fought, becoming the champion in the process. Once the fighting ring was busted, he went on a rampage against the police and killed scores of Pokemon, with Dhianna having to conscript an Explorer to take him down."

Violet and Clarity looked at each other. "We're out too," they said as one. It wasn't that either of them was _afraid_ or anything, but a murderous psychopath that either of them could barely touch, with or without weapons, was probably going to be next to impossible for them to beat.

Apple looked at Bruciatus nervously. "Um… I could… "

Tsuki sighed. "So then I'm going to be the one who has to beat him down, then." Tsuki looked at Bruciatus, calculating. Then she smiled. "Yeah, I can take him down." She gave them a thumbs up. "You can count on me!"

With that, Tsuki walked across the bridge and arrived at the circular arena. Going over to the weapon racks she tested a few of them out, then put them back.

"All unbalanced," she said, frowning. "Already stacking the odds against me?" She pushed the rack aside. "Not like I need any of them."

Bruciatus grinned maliciously. "So you're ready, then?" Walking over to the other rack he created, Bruciatus picked up two massive swords, each the length of Tsuki herself. "I will enjoy cleaving your soul from your body."

Tsuki smiled. "You can try, buddy!" Materializing knives made of water, she faced Bruciatus without a hint of fear.

The tinny explanatory voice crackled out again. "_Are both combatants ready_?"

"Yep!" Tsuki answered. Bruciatus just grinned and nodded, and the weapon rack for both disappeared back into the earth with another of his stomps.

"_The combat will continue until death or forfeiture, leaving the bounds of the arena, or disqualification by attacking an unaffiliated party. Any outside interference is not allowed._" There was a pregnant pause. "_Begin!_"

"Let us have a glorious battle!" Bruciatus bellowed, before stomping his foot. A column of spikes shot towards Tsuki, stabbing at the air. Tsuki dodged to the side and began to run at high speeds, so fast that Violet could barely keep up with her (but of course, she could).

Tsuki, once Bruciatus lost track of her, slipped in and used her water-knives to carve a large gash into Bruciatus' body - then was smacked away, halfway across the arena, for her efforts.

Bruciatus laughed, the gash in his body closing without much effort. "Try again, Greninja!"

Tsuki flipped to her feet, looked squarely at Bruciatus, then ran straight at him, knives glowing black with an embedded Night Slash inside. Bruciatus smiled cruelly as Tsuki approached.

Then he cut her in half.

Or at least, he cut the Substitute she created a split second before he slashed, leaving the doll to dissipate into thin air. Bruciatus narrowed his eyes, then spun one of his swords a quarter-circle. "Shadow Sneak, eh?" In the middle of his spin, his foot suddenly glowed a sickly purple - and then he stomped his foot on the ground.

Tsuki popped out from the ground, dazed. She quickly collected herself, though, before Bruciatus could capitalize on the opening, and jumped back. She didn't move and instead looked at Bruciatus suspiciously.

"Well, Greninja? Ready to forfeit? I don't usually accept those, but I'll make an exception for you."

"Yeah, right!" Tsuki scoffed, before forming Water Shurikens. "Like I'll let myself lose to you!" Then she threw the Water Shurikens straight at him, before running in circles again.

Bruciatus cut through the Water Shurikens with ease, the earth he was using suspiciously strong. "Stand still and fight!" He commanded, stomping his feet. The field grew a set of spikes the way a field grew grass - Tsuki would no longer be able to run as she did before.

Which is why she didn't and instead jumped back into the ground in a Shadow Sneak. Bruciatus laughed. "Nice try, Greninja - but you know where this is going!" Bruciatus lifted his foot, and it turned purple again.

But Tsuki wouldn't let him disrupt her attack. Before Bruciatus slammed his foot on the ground again, Tsuki popped out of the ground and slammed her hands on the floor (drawing blood in the process). A large square 'mat' appeared under Bruciatus, and as Bruciatus shifted his balance for the stomp, the mat, popping up, shoved him.

"How do you like my Mat Flip? It's not just a defensive move, you know!" Tsuki crowed, before forming a Water Shuriken in a hand. "Take this!" She threw the Shuriken at Bruciatus.

But Bruciatus didn't just take the Water Shuriken - instead, he rolled himself up into a ball and rolled away. Next to Violet, Clarity's eyes widened. "I didn't know that Golurks could use that in combat!" She whispered. "I thought that was how they rested, not how they fought!"

"Bruciatus can do both," Mint answered, not taking his eyes off the combatants. "In interviews, he's said that he's practiced for a decade to shrug off the mental shutdown that occurs when they roll up into a ball."

"Interviews?"

"Uh, yeah? How do you think he got the money to fight?"

"But… it was an illegal arena…?"

"So? It's not like that will stop anyone from gettings interviews and posting them on the deep nexus."

While the two were talking, the battle was continuing. Bruciatus was rolling around, trying to find Tsuki and roll her over - he could no longer go back into normal form, as Tsuki had found a tactic Bruciatus didn't have a counter to.

And soon, the battle was concluding. While at first, Tsuki had to be careful of where she was stepping, with Bruciatus crushing all of his spikes, Tsuki had more than enough room to move around.

The battle came to a head when Bruciatus rolled a little too fast at one crossing. Tsuki aimed and, with a second's worth of charging, fired a Hydro Pump to prevent Bruciatus from turning. Bruciatus, too fast to stop himself, rolled right off the arena… and onto an earthen track that appeared out of nowhere, placing him right back on the arena.

Then Bruciatus popped out of his ball and sighed. The tinny voice crackled to life once more. "_Inmate Bruciatus has left the confines of the arena, disqualifying him. Tsuki Gekoga is the winner, and the prospective explorers have received one point._"

"YEAH!" Apple was trying to jump up and down and was pumping a fist. "YOU DID IT, TSUKI!"

Tsuki smiled. "Well, of course, it was never a question." Tsuki looked at Bruciatus. "And I have to say, you didn't deserve your title for nothing - you were easily one of the more dangerous opponents I have ever faced."

Bruciatus nodded. "Likewise. Other than the Explorer and the previous champion of my ring, you alone have pushed me to my limit. I hope to face you again one day, once I am allowed to go free and fight. Next time, though… it will be a true battle to the death, no forfeiture or arenas to constrain us."

"Uh… sure."

Clarity, though, was frowning - and once Violet extended her aura senses, she understood why. The other inmates, who should have been _fuming_ at the loss (since Tsuki had given their team the lead) were frowning… but they _felt_ satisfied. As though the loss didn't matter or didn't hurt.

Was Bruciatus the _weakest_? Were they _that_ confident?

Mint, too, had an odd reaction - but in the opposite direction. "BOO! Bruciatus, you've lost your touch! Where was the Koloktos Kombo, the Molgera Worm, the _Gohma_?! You used _none_ of your tricks!"

Bruciatus frowned. "Unfortunately, Eevee, I have been out of practice for the past seventeen years - those tricks no longer come as naturally to me as they once did. Even practicing for this bout, I was unable to perform them. My apologies. I am glad that I still have fans in this day and age." Bruciatus' voice was like a politician's - it gave no lies on the outside, but his heart told a bigger, more 'honest' truth.

Mint sighed. "Now I get why they say to never meet your heroes. Yen is going to be _so_ disappointed."

"Yen?" Violet asked.

"My big brother, he would bring me to his room so that we could watch illegal fights sometimes. Bruciatus _was_ an old favorite of mine, but now that he's lost his edge, it's… it's sad."

There was a slight twinge of anger on Bruciatus's part, but it was soon smothered by a forced calm. "Watch your tongue, boy." The words came out as harsh but carried very little real emotion behind it. Violet's brow furrowed as she tried to understand what was going on in Bruciatus's head.

"_The second task will soon commence_." And then the time for pleasantries was over, and any sort of happy emotion was wiped away (except for Apple, but even his excitement and congratulations of Tsuki were now muted). Bruciatus, winding his arms up a couple of times to stretch, walked back across the bridge. Once he fully crossed the bridge (making sure to clean the arena of any of his earth beforehand), the Lampent crossed over, wearing a cocky smirk.

Violet glanced at Mint. "So… what about him?"

Mint shrugged. "I got nothing, he's not important enough on the deep nexus for me to know about."

Violet's lip curled. The deep nexus - the part of the Nexus, the collective communication and information sharing network that all corbs could use. Youxie, Broadcall, and Searchwind were perhaps the most famous sites… on the part of the nexus that everyone could access. The deep nexus was only rumored - you would have to be a criminal, at the very least, to be able to access it.

How did _Mint_ have access?

"My name," The Lampent grinned. "Is Napoleon." He was waiting for a reaction. Violet looked at Mint, who shrugged, and Clarity, who just looked confused.

"Napoleon?" Apple exclaimed. "That's - that's inconceivable! You… uh…" Napoleon's smile fell away. "Okay, I got nothing. Have you done anything… important that we should know about? You know, something noteworthy."

"'Noteworthy'?" Napoleon raged. "I burned down fifty schools and colleges! I crashed a ship into the International Market of Trade! I absorbed the soul of _President Partridge_!"

"Is that someone important?" Apple asked, scratching his head. Napoleon's eyes bugged out.

"You… you… !" Napoleon whipped around. "I've made my decision - I will be facing the Munchlax!"

"_Decision acknowledged and approved. May the two combatants please enter the stage?_"

Violet's eyes widened. "Wait, why does _he_ get to choose who he faces?! We're the ones to choose who faces what, not them!"

The Dusclops, who was hanging back at the inmates' side of the chasm, laughed. "Did you _really _think we would make this challenge that simple for you? You're going to have to face bad odds too!"

"_May the two combatants please enter the stage_?" The voice repeated.

Apple grinned. "Don't worry, guys, I got this!" He pumped his fist up and down. "No matter what kind of battle he has in store, I'll be able to face it!"

Violet had to disagree - Napoleon was a Ghost Type, meaning Normal moves weren't effective on him. And while Apple had Lick (Violet assumed), he would have to get in close for it to work - Napoleon could maintain distance between the two of them easily. Apple had no ranged moves that were effective against Napoleon, while Napoleon probably had a whole arsenal (or should she call it 'arsonal'?) of fire moves he could use.

Still, as Apple walked forward, Violet held a shred of hope. Maybe, just maybe, Apple would win the battle. It wasn't within the realm of impossibility, after all.

Apple arrived at the arena and walked up to Napoleon. The bridges then disappeared. From a small bag at his side, Napoleon withdrew two bags of marbles, two small black spheres, and two boxes. Violet furrowed her brow, a little confused.

Napoleon passed Apple a bag of marbles, a sphere, and a box. Apple caught them, raising an eyebrow. "What are these for?"

Napoleon laughed. "Not all of us are going to go for fights to the death. For our combat… we're going to play a little game. Tell me, have you ever heard of Nim?"

Apple scratched his head. "Well, I've _heard_ of it, but I was never told the rules, and I didn't get my corb until yesterday, so…"

Napoleon scoffed. "Great. Well, it's a simple enough game, though we're going to alter it a bit. Open the box, and it should be empty."

Apple opened the box, and sure enough, it was empty.

"My box is synchronized with yours, using the same technology behind Kangaskhan rocks and Storage Boxes - whatever is in one will simultaneously exist in the other." Napoleon's voice went dry as he began to explain the rules. "We will take turns placing marbles into the box until we reach twelve. Whoever puts the twelfth marble in wins. Each of us can only put one or two marbles in during our turn. We'll play at most three rounds, up until one person has two victories."

Napoleon then held out a coin. "This is a fair coin - but if you want, you can flip it. It's not weighted - it's a perfectly normal coin." His smile turned predatory. "Don't worry, you can trust me."

Apple cautiously took it in his hands and flipped it around a little bit. "It seems normal enough to me," he said at last. "Are we flipping to see who goes first?" Napoleon nodded. "Well… okay. I choose heads."

Apple flipped the coin into the air, and it spun wildly fast. Mint narrowed his eyes, trying to keep his eyes on the faces. Then, after staying in the air for a second, it landed down on his palm, heads up.

"So I'm going first, then," Apple said. Napoleon snorted.

"Feel free to put the marbles in - and remember, you can put one or two in." Apple nodded, took two marbles, and went to place them in. But then he stopped himself to ask one more question.

"Uh… what are the spheres for?" Apple poked his ball repeatedly as he asked the question.

"Those are bombs, and the boxes are detonators. If you lose one round, your bomb will prime, and a light will start flashing. Lose another, and it'll explode." Napoleon grinned. "I'll survive the explosion, but you… I'm not too sure about that."

Apple looked at the sphere fearfully - and Napoleon wasn't lying. His aura told Violet that it _was_ a bomb.

"If you want to forfeit, feel free to toss the bomb over the edge. The rocks of this tower are reinforced, so there's nothing it can do to hurt you. But then you'll automatically fail… so go ahead and do that." Napoleon dementedly grinned.

Apple looked at the bomb, and Napoleon again. Then he looked at us. "Tsuki's given us an advantage… I'm not going to waste it." Tsuki nodded. Napoleon only grinned more.

"Then this will be all the more fun."

Apple wordlessly dropped two marbles into the box. Above them (from some unknown, unseen corb), a hologram appeared, showing two spheres.

Napoleon looked at it, smiled, then dropped a single marble into the box. The hologram changed, showing three spheres.

Apple dropped a single marble as well. Four.

Napoleon dropped two. Six.

Apple took a look at the holograms for a few seconds, and his aura sharpened a little bit. "Ah… I get your strategy… there's no way I can win, then." He dropped two marbles in. Eight.

Napoleon smiled and dropped another marble in. "Yep." Nine.

Apple dropped one last marble in and sat down morosely. "You win this round." Ten - and at this point, Violet saw how Napoleon would win.

Napoleon dropped two marbles in - Twelve. On Apple's bomb, a light started flashing. Violet's blood ran cold.

Apple grabbed the coin and pulled out his six marbles. Napoleon did likewise, smiling.

"Flip the coin, Munchlax. Let's finish this already."

Apple looked at the coin, narrowed his eyes, and then looked at Napoleon. "Fine. I choose heads again." He flipped the coin into the air. Next to Violet, everyone was on full-alert, paying full attention to the coin. She only had the slightest awareness of this, for she was also paying more of her attention to the coin.

Thirty-one… thirty-two… thirty-three flips… there was a small gust of wind… throwing it a bit off...

"The coin is fair," Mint said without hesitation. "That was a natural throw, there were no tricks to that one."

"Tails," Apple said, showing the face of the coin to Napoleon. Napoleon grimaced but said nothing. His aura had no change whatsoever.

"Then I guess I'll go first," Napoleon stated, before placing one marble into the box. One.

Apple smiled. "And you will lose because of it." He placed two marbles in the box. Three.

Napoleon nodded. "I suppose so," he said before he placed one more marble into the box. Four.

Violet understood why as well. The person second to go could always make the number of marbles in the box a multiple of 3, by putting a different number of marbles in the box. One and two, two and one, both added up to 3. Each cycle of turns would add 3 more to the box.

Apple placed two marbles in the box. The hologram showed six.

The one to go second would be the one to make it so that the number of marbles in the box was a multiple of three. And since, twelve was a multiple of three, the one to go second could make it so that they were the ones to always pick it… making them the winner.

As long as you know the strategy and went second, you could always force a win.

Napoleon put in two marbles. Eight. Apple put in one. Nine. Another multiple of three. Napoleon put in one. Ten. Apple put in two. Twelve.

The light on Napoleon's bomb started flashing.

"So this is where the game truly ends, then," Violet muttered as Apple and Napoleon collected their marbles. "At the coin flip."

Because if you could make it so that you lost the coin flip, you would go second, allowing you to force a win. Napoleon and Apple's bombs were both blinking, so the next game would finish the match, and both knew the strategy.

There would be no point in the third game once the coin was flipped. The victor would already be decided.

"Again, I choose heads," Apple stated.

Apple flipped the coin into the air, and it began to flip over and over…

Then a gust of wind came from the chasm again, which set off alarm bells in Violet's head. The coin came back down, right after the wind sharply stopped.

"The wind was artificial," Violet muttered. It must have been used to influence the speed of the coin as it fell, changing the results. "They're rigging the coin flip… and rigging the game."

Apple looked at the coin, then back at Napoleon. "... tails." Apple said, bemused.

Tails? But then… if they _had_ rigged it, then why wasn't it heads, so that Apple would go first, and therefore lose? They had made it so that Apple would _win_.

"Will you forfeit?" Apple asked, curious.

Napoleon shook his head. "I'm a fighter to the end."

Apple shrugged. "Alright, then. Your move."

Napoleon placed one marble into the box. Apple placed two. Apple's eyes narrowed, and he looked at the holograms a little more closely.

Napoleon placed two marbles in the box, making the total five.

Apple did nothing with the marbles - instead, he stared at the holograms, and then Napoleon, and then back again, never taking his eyes off either.

"What's taking Apple so long? Shouldn't he have already put in a marble?" Tsuki asked, reclining on the wall.

Slowly, Apple reached into his bag and pulled out two marbles. Violet's blood froze, as he put both in. _Seven_ \- he skipped six.

"What are you _doing_?!" Violet howled at Apple. "You-you've thrown it all away! Now we're going to lose!"

Napoleon stared at Apple, then narrowed his eyes. He then placed a single marble inside - Eight.

Violet collapsed. "Wh… what are they doing?"

"I have no idea," Clarity started. "But it's making the other inmates panic."

Clarity couldn't read Napoleon's heart, because he had no heart - but Violet could read Napoleon's aura, it told Violet that he was shocked… and worried. And this emotion was reflected in the other inmates as well, to a lesser extent (not by the Sylveon, though - in fact, the Sylveon had been doing nothing but passively looking at the situation in boredom).

They… were afraid? Even though Apple threw their chance of victory away?

Mint didn't have a reaction - instead, he looked at Apple, before sighing. "He'll do fine," he said out loud. "That look in his eyes… he's probing."

"Your move," Napoleon said at last.

Apple smiled. "Yep." He then placed two more marbles in the box. Ten - they had lost, and Napoleon could place the twelfth marble in.

Napoleon, though, was panicking. His hands were shaking… and then he smiled roguishly. "I'll respect your bluff." Napoleon's heart screamed in panic. "And I guess you win." Napoleon placed only one marble inside - Eleven.

They had won, somehow. All Apple had to do was place the last marble inside the box, and they'd have almost won.

Apple looked at Napoleon with suspicion. Napoleon shrugged. "What can I say? You threw off my game - you gave up the winning strategy for something with risk, and I think that's Explorer material. Go ahead, put the marble in."

Apple didn't put the marble in. He looked back at his bomb, then at the marble… then at Napoleon, and the rest of the inmates… then the hologram…

… and finally, he turned around and looked at Violet.

Then his aura… spiked? Sharpened? Violet didn't quite know how to describe it. But Apple turned around, resolute, and walked up to the box… and placed the marble in the bag where he originally pulled it from.

Before anyone could react, Apple grabbed his bomb and threw it over the side of the chasm. Within ten seconds or so, it fell to the bottom of the chasm, making a dull thud as it hit the ground. The bomb, which had begun flashing faster after it went over the side of the chasm, went off, making a small fireball the size of Bruciatus.

Apple turned to Napoleon. "Well, I guess that means I've forfeited." He said dryly.

There was an extended period of silence - no one knew quite how to react to that. Then the bridges extended from each side of the chasm. Apple walked back across the bridge and was soon among their number once more.

"Apple," Clarity began. "We _had_ the lead… we could have extended it… you could have forced a win in the game from Napoleon, but you chose to give it up… _why_?!"

"... minority decision." Apple said at last. "This whole phase… it's about minority decision."

"Minority decision?" Clarity raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"... I'm not exactly sure. It was the first thing that popped into my head when you asked why I gave up. It's more like my gut told me it was right to lose… minority decision is the reason, though I've never heard of the phrase in my life.

Clarity groaned. "Violet, Apple's gone insane… Violet?"

Violet was staring at the inmates. While _they_ were talking, the inmates had convened as well. A little bit of white noise was playing from somewhere, Violet wasn't sure from where, that was blocking Clarity from hearing their conversation… but from what Violet could read of their aura, they were nervous, bemused, and wary…

… even though they… won…

… the words Apple said were echoing around in her head as well. 'Minority Decision'... what, exactly, did that mean?

"_The third match will now be underway._" With a wave of psychic power, the instruments used in Napoleon's game of Nim were taken away, dragged across the chasm to who knows where.

The Tyranitar, who held a stoic look on his face, stepped forward. The earth shook with his every step, as the bridge strained under his immense weight. Eventually, he reached the arena.

"Send in your fighter, so that they may fall to the might of the great Sotinari!"

Another deathmatch? Seriously, is that the default trial or something? She's fought more people over the past week than she had over a year.

The tinny voice echoed over them again. "_Send in your next combatant_," it commanded.

There were three of them left - her, Clarity, and Mint. Of them all, she was the most capable of fighting Sotinari thanks to the double type advantage she had. It was her turn now, she supposed.

"I'll go," Violet said, which garnered no opposition from anyone - they were all fine with it, it seemed. Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the bridge as well and walked across to face Sotinari.

"So, another deathmatch, then?" She looked at Mint. "You recognize this guy, Mint?"

Mint shook his head. "Not a clue," he said honestly. "I've never seen the man before in any underground ring cams. He's a complete mystery."

"Mystery? I, the great Sotinari, a mystery?!" Sotinari laughed boisterously, a far cry from his frightened, fluctuating aura. "I am no mystery! My name is known across the lands, and is feared far and wide."

"Then why have none of us ever heard of you, if you're known so 'far and wide'?" Violet asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You, of course, are simpletons - that, and that alone is why you have not heard of the great Sotinari!" Sotinari slammed a foot onto the ground, causing it to shake a little. "Feeble minds cannot comprehend the greatness of Sotonari."

Violet rolled her eyes. "Sure, and I'm a Wimpod. Can we just start the match already, and stop wasting… time…"

Right, they were here to waste time… somehow, throughout all of this, Violet had forgotten that. These guys were just another set of roadblocks on the path up the tower - heck, they hadn't used their watches in over thirty minutes!

"_The third match, between Dark Lord Sotinari and Violet Kain shall now… begin!_"

Sotinari charged, stomping on the ground heavily as he ran as fast as he could. Violet was faster, though, as she casually evaded his first barrage of attacks.

Sotonari turned. "Give up now, feeble Riolu!" He laughed. "I am far superior to you in every possible way!" He held out an arm, which had hundreds of faded scratches and scars on them. "I have battled against the Djinn's Jewels, who far surpass you in every way - and I singlehandedly killed and defeated their leader! Your mind and strength are so feeble that you cannot even _begin_ to comprehend the level of strength I wield before you!"

Those sounded like laudable accomplishments - the Djinn's Jewels were an infamous band of thieves and plunderers, whose skills in thievery and combat were said no be near unmatched, their members were only captured by the most elite of Explorers. Meanwhile, this 'magnificent' Sotinari was almost quaking in his boots at this sight of her. Either she was at the pinnacle of all fighters (which she believed she had been at before White and Rikal taught her how far the ceiling truly went) or Sotinari was the most idiotic of liars.

"KILL HIM, VIOLET! KILL HIM AND DESECRATE HIS CORPSE UNTIL THERE'S NOTHING BUT ASHES ON THE GROUND!"

Everyone's attention turned to an apoplectic Mint, who was glaring at Sotinari with the vilest of stares. The giant Sotinari 'eeped', edging away from the foot-tall Mint.

Mint's eyes whipped to Violet. "He _disrespected_ the Djinn's Jewels, Violet." he intoned. "He deserves the most painful of punishments. Make sure he _pays with HIS BLOOD!" _Mint howled at last.

Sotinari gulped.

Violet whistled. "You _really_ lucked out on fighting me, huh." Violet cracked her knuckles and started walking forward. "Well, let's get on with it, shall we?"

Sotinari 'regained' his composure. "Fools! You dare to think you can even _begin_ to match me?!" Sotonari raised his mist, and with a mighty boom, slammed it on the ground. A few seconds later, a large spire of rock erupted from where Violet had been standing.

Keyword, 'had been'. Violet casually walked away, whistling a fun little tune as she did so. Several seconds later, she witnessed the rock with a casual sort of disinterest. "Ooh… so _dangerous_. I might accidentally stub my toe on it or something."

Sotonari's eyes bulged. "You do not fear me, little girl?"

"No offense… well, it _is _offensive, there's no way it can't be offensive… but I would have to be _incredibly_ pathetic to fear you - or heck, even fooled by you!" Violet scoffed. "Defeating the Djinn's Jewels? Priceless."

Sotinari said nothing.

"Anyway, can we wrap this up? I'm starting to get a little bored."

Then Sotonari did something… strange. Instead of falsely blustering like he usually did, he pulled himself up, and his aura _settled_.

"I see… perhaps I have finally found my true adversary. I will gracefully admit defeat… as soon as I tell you the tale of my endeavors. For you see, you are one in a billion, my dear. None could even _hope_ to match my splendor and magnificent prowess in battle, and…"

At this point, Violet started tuning him out. His stance had changed entirely - he wasn't getting an attack ready, nor did his aura show any sign of deceit. He _was_ going to give up… once he had wasted enough time.

And to think, Violet hadn't even thrown a punch. She intimidated him to victory.

But he wasn't intimidated - his aura was half relieved, half _happy_. As if he was _happy_ to lose.

Violet tuned her aura senses into the emotions of everyone else in the chasm. Her team was predictably satisfied since it would end in their victory… but the other team was satisfied and relieved too.

And unlike Sotinari, they should be _furious _\- but instead, they were as happy as can be. Their aura told Violey that they didn't mind losing at all, rather, they_ wanted _it.

Were her aura senses on the fritz… no, they were working fine. She could sense auras just fine.

And it wasn't like she was sensing only happiness. There _was_ a smidgeon of fear emanating from Sotinari. Which was understandable, considering how she outclassed him.

But that left the question of why the other team was so _happy_. There wasn't any good reason she could think of why they were so happy- they were about to lose! They felt this happy when Tsuki won too, and only felt shock, fear, and worry when Apple lost.

Why?

Why were they happy when they lost and upset when they won? You'd think they'd want to… lose…

Unbidden, what Apple said from earlier came to mind.

'_This whole phase… it's about minority decision.'_

Minority decision… minority decision… the _majority_ decision was when the verdict enacted was the one where the majority of people agreed on it, so minority decision would be…

… oh.

_Oh_.

The watches 'malfunctioning'... the anger of the inmates at winning… their happiness at losing… it was all centered around those that were supposed to win losing.

No… 'minority decision'...

Violet raised a hand, and with more doubt, than she ever had, interrupted Sotinari in the middle of his time-wasting speech. "I forfeit."

Sotinari's babbling came to a halt. "Huh?"

"I forfeit - you win. No… to be more accurate, you got the point. In my book, and probably yours, that isn't a win." Violet smiled. "Isn't that right?"

The tinny voice came alive. "_Are you sure that you wish to forfeit, Ms. Kain?"_

"Yes, I'm sure."

"_May I ask why?_" The voice was oddly polite.

"Because of the trick behind this phase - minority decision. The ones with the least amount of points or votes, the minority, wins. These inmates aren't even trying against us - Bruciatus used none of his powerful moves, lying and saying that he forgot them, Napoleon teaching Apple the trick behind Nim and rigging the coin flip and Sotinari… being Sotinari."

"Hey!"

"Shut up," Violet smirked. "And nothing went wrong during the vote held on the watches earlier - Mint, Clarity and I voted right, while Tsuki and Apple voted left. It's just that the path with the _least _amount of votes was going to be chosen, in other words, the left path. We thought we had tricked each other since we couldn't see the totals of the votes."

Violet shrugged. "So I forfeit. In the end, it's going to be my victory."

"_... very well, Ms. Kain. If you insist._" The voice sounded pleased, but also sharper. But that wasn't what Violet was paying attention to - rather, she was reading the inmates' auras.

And they told no lies - rather, they confirmed what she had been thinking. Their auras now radiated a sense of pain and hate, specifically directed to her. This is the exact _opposite_ of what they wanted - no matter if they tried to hide it, their aura would speak no lies to her.

Sotinari attempted to negotiate. "Since I was ready to forfeit first, doesn't that mean that I should be the one disqualified instead?" He tried to bargain.

That was the final nail in the coffin. Violet saw the inmates' hate shift to Sotinari - since Sotinari had tried to make it so that _he_ was the one disqualified instead, he had all but assured Violet and her team that her idea was true.

The bridges shot out once more. Violet confidently walked back to where everyone was waiting for her.

* * *

**Meant to update yesterday, updated today instead. Well, procrastination is a tough issue to deal with, anyway. **

**See you guys later!**


	7. Minority Decision, Part 2

Clarity frowned as she held a hand to her chin. "Let me get this straight - you and Apple think that because the inmates are angry due to us _losing_, and we should continue to lose."

"Us 'losing' means that we're getting closer to _actually_ winning - the team with the least amount of points wins. They want us to get the majority of the points so that we can't move on."

Clarity snorted. "Violet, that's ridiculous. This is a test of our abilities, isn't it? What would they get from us if we just forfeited every round." Then she frowned. "You and Apple have thrown away our lead, and I'm going to have to work twice as hard to get it back - Mint and I."

Mint nodded, satisfied. "You aren't allowed to forget about me yet," Mint said.

Violet's eye twitched. "Clarity, Apple and I _aren't_ wrong! Can't you see at how panicked they are at my forfeit, Clarity - they're on the cusp of _losing_, not winning!"

"All I can hear from their hearts is excitement and energy, Violet." Yeah, excitement and energy - as if! "They're _thrilled_, not panicking." Clarity's eyes grew sharper. "I'm not going to give up."

Violet's eyes blazed. "Clarity, you're being so absolutely, positively _stupid_!"

Clarity's lip curled, and she turned away from Violet, not saying a word. Mint thought that Violet _probably _shouldn't have insulted Clarity like that.

Mint found Violet and Clarity's relationship amusing. Sometimes they were rivals, sometimes they were friends. They listened to each other more often than not, but they formed opinions independent of what the other thought. That led to odd collisions like the one above.

As for Mint… he wasn't sure that Violet was telling the truth. Mint couldn't imagine many other reasons why Violet would forfeit, but the idea was outlandish. Then again, that was what the whole test was based on. For now, he would reserve judgment

"_The fourth match will now begin_," the voice, on the loudspeaker blared once again. "_It is now the inmates' choice for who they are facing_."

The Dusclops stepped forward. "I choose the Audino to be the one to face me." Their voice was smooth and melodic, as though it was practiced to be charming. Only the coldness in the Dusclops' eyes betrayed their true thoughts.

"_Very well. You may now cross._" The bridges were already out from earlier, so Clarity took one last, irritated look at Violet. Then she started walking away.

"Clarity, you have-"

"I'm _going_ to win," Clarity promised. "And there's nothing you can do to change my mind." Clarity then walked across the bridge and stood across from the Dusclops. "So let's get this over with."

The Dusclops grinned roughishly. "Dear, I couldn't agree more." He held up his hands. "Let's play a betting game, shall we? We each take turns making a bet for the other to fulfill, and once the bet is fulfilled, we get a…" Here the Dusclops' smile grew predatory. "Token. Collect at least three tokens, and you will get propose a trade - what that trade is, we'll decide later. Understood?"

"Understood." Clarity whispered. "Let's start, then."

Violet furrowed her brow. "There's something… off about Clarity. Clarity's aura is weird - it's like molasses or tar or something."

"And it usually isn't like that, right?"

"Given how she was so upset a few seconds ago?"

Mint frowned. "Fair point."

"For the first bet," the Dusclops said. "Let's bet on what the name of this tower is. No one has been told it, not even us, so any guess will do. The proctor - that voice you've been hearing coming from the speakers - will tell us if we're right or not."

The Dusclops raised a finger. "I, for one, believe that the name of the tower is called the Tower of Fate. It sounds appropriate enough, as the tower decides your fate of becoming an Explorer or not. Now it's your turn, Clarity - what do _you_ think the name of the tower is. Guess a name, any name! Make it wacky, interesting, unique! Let's have some fun!"

"Okay," Clarity said sedately. "I guess that the name of this tower is… Bobby."

You could hear a pin drop in the room. The Dusclops coughed. "Bobby?"

Clarity slowly nodded. "Bobby."

"_... one token to Nebuka,_" the voice plainly stated. "_For your information, the name of the tower is 'Tower of Enigma', not 'Tower of Fate'_ _or…"_ The tinny voice coughed. "_Bobby._"

"Why would Clarity say something like that?" Apple asked. "I mean, I think that this tower _should _be called Bobby, it's a nice name, but I wouldn't think that it's the actual name of the tower."

Violet grimaced "That Dusclops - Nebuka - he's _doing _something to Clarity. Her aura is growing slower and slower."

"Now it's your turn, Clarity. Come up with something that we can bet on - oh, and make it a little easier, would you? I have to admit, getting the name of this tower wrong was a little irksome."

"Okay," Clarity giggled, setting off alarm bells in Mint's head. "Let's bet… let's bet…" Clarity struggled to get any words out. "On… whether I'm… a boy or a girl!" She giggled, as though it were a particularly funny joke.

"Clarity, what are you _doing!_" Violet shouted at her, though Clarity was completely unfazed. "How could he get that wrong?!"

"I take it from the Riolu's reaction that you _are_ a girl, then." Mint's eyes widened - any ambiguity had disappeared now. He silently cursed Violet's flapping mouth. "I bet that you are a girl - and I think that you'll bet differently, would you? That would make it exciting and interesting, and you want this test to be exciting and interesting, don't you, Clarity?"

"Uh… sure," Clarity said dazedly. "I bet that I'm a boy."

The tinny voice crackled in the air, amused. "_Clarity Glass is identified in all registries as a girl. One token to Nebuka._"

"Ooh, that's good." Nebuka smiled. "One more and we'll get to make that trade. We'll both have to agree to it, of course… but I won't see how that will be an issue." Clarity slowly nodded.

An ice-cold feeling ran down Mint's spine. "He's hypnotized her," he whispered. "That's why she's acting so stupid and failing the bets - he's making it so that she can't think clearly."

"Hypnosis… yeah, she has the signs," Tsuki, getting up and stretching, said. "It's either that or he drugged her when we weren't looking. But I admit that your idea is far more likely, Mint." Then she frowned. "But Violet and Apple said that they wanted to have the _least_ amount of points, right? Wouldn't this be counterproductive to that?"

Mint snorted. "They're fighting for tokens, not points. I don't know what 'trade' it is they're talking about, but something tells me that letting Nebuka control it is a bad idea."

Violet nodded, raising a hand. "Proctor, we have suspicions that Nebuka is hypnotizing our teammate, and is therefore cheating." Mint rolled his eyes - was she actually expecting that to work?

Sure enough, the proctor answered in the negative. "_Even if you had evidence of hypnosis, Ms. Kain, hypnosis is well within the rules of the bout._"

"In other words, Violet, it doesn't really matter."

Violet turned an unimpressed look on Mint, who looked back challengingly. Then, sighing, she turned back to the competitors.

"For the final bet," Nebuka stated. "We will have a staring contest. Whoever blinks first loses."

"Oh come _on_!" Violet raged. "He doesn't even have any eyelids! How this fair in any respect? Clarity, _refuse_!"

"Okay…" Clarity mumbled. "I'm ready."

Violet slapped a hand to her face. "This is a nightmare," she moaned. Mint, personally, was finding this all very funny. "We've practically lost this round already."

Clarity and Nevuka stood a foot apart. Clarity's eyes opened wide, looking at Nebuka with glazed dispassion.

"I bet your eyes are feeling rather heavy, Clarity," Nebuka said. "Heavy, stifling… it's getting harder and harder to keep your eyes open, to keep yourself from closing your eyes and losing the contest. But no matter what, Clarity, you must keep your eyes open. You must last as long as you can, hoping that I, eventually, will blink. You will fight on as long as you need to, for you are a strong girl, aren't you?"

Clarity nodded. "I… won't lose," she mumbled. "I will become an Explorer, so even if I have to wait here for… a hundred years… I will succeed."

Here, Mint was wondering what Nebuka was going to do with Clarity. Was he going to force her to keep his eyes open (while he had no trouble keeping his nonexistent eyelids in check) and therefore wait out the clock for the ten hours necessary?

"This is so important to you, isn't it, Clarity? Your teammates have betrayed you, forfeiting their points away to us. They talk about 'minority decision' and mask their cowardice with lies - but you are the only brave one on your team. _You _will succeed where they fail."

"I… will succeed."

"SHUT UP!" Violet pointed at Clarity. "WAKE UP, CLARITY - HE'S FOOLING YOU! YOU CAN'T FALL FOR HIS LIES! WE AREN'T COWARDS!"

"You will succeed, Clarity," Nebuka continued. "But your eyes are getting heavier and heavier. You must use all of your energy to keep your eyes open. No one exists in the world but you and I, Clarity - not even your own thoughts, which will distract from what's truly important… winning."

"I… must win. It's… important… more important than anything else…"

Mint now understood what Nebuka was getting at. Block her from anything that can wake her up, block her from interfering thoughts… this was nothing more than a ruse to keep Clarity well under his control.

And he was emphasizing the importance of victory, countering Violet's claim of minority decision. Clarity would never believe Violet now - Nebuka was filling her head with thoughts of perseverance and victory, rather than her connections with friends.

And then Mint saw something peculiar. That Sylveon - the last inmate they were supposed to face, the one that he would face looking at how Nebuka controlled his match - was staring at Clarity with the most disgusting, repulsive look of greed and lust Mint had ever seen. Ribbons trailed across the chasm slowly, intending on grabbing Nebuka… or defenseless Clarity.

Nebuka noticed the ribbons. Without turning around, he stomped on one as it tried to pass him and contact Clarity. The ribbon ignored him and caressed Clarity's leg, who did nothing.

"Why aren't the proctors doing anything?" Apple looked at the scene with trepidation and concern. "Won't this disqualify Nebuka?!"

"I don't know," Tsuki answered, standing up. "But I won't let this go on any longer." She quickly flung a Water Shuriken at the ribbon. It shot straight across the chasm and slashed the Sylveon's ribbon, releasing its form and sending water everywhere in the process.

The Sylveon retracted the ribbon with a hiss, glaring at Tsuki with fury. Tsuki glared back. Clarity's eyes shut automatically as water impacted it, causing Nebuka to curse. Throughout all of this, the proctors said nothing, their speakers as silent as ever.

Nebuka turned around. "You are the most impatient, _ridiculous_ Pokemon I've ever had the displeasure of working with. Can't you keep it in your pants until after I've pulled as many hours out of her as I can?!"

The bottom of Mint's stomach dropped as the Sylveon said nothing, making no motions to even deny the disgusting claims Nebuka made.

"What… what was that…" Apple gasped, looking at the Sylveon in fear. "Why was that so _wrong_-"

"Apple. Mint. Violet." Tsuki interrupted Apple in the middle of what he was saying. "You will eventually find out what was so wrong about that happened. Later, we will explain to Clarity - _gently_ \- what happened. Until then… think of revenge."

Mint knew Apple wouldn't, as that wasn't the kind of Pokemon he was, and that Violet would.

Mint didn't know how sheltered either of them were from what just happened - even though like Apple and Violet Mint was twelve, Mint wasn't sheltered., considering the line of work his family was in and that that kind of thing _happened_ \- but judging from Violet's deadly calm expression hiding an infinite well of hate, she, at the very least, had an idea of what the Sylveon was experiencing upon touching Clarity in her helpless state.

Mint wasn't planning his revenge, though - well, he was, except for the fact that it was taking the backburner. For now, he couldn't help but wonder what was going on in the minds of the proctors. Allowing the Sylveon to extend his ribbon… even ignoring the ethical considerations, a daunting task in its own right, both Tsuki _and_ Sylveon broke the rules by interfering with the match.

Why were they allowing it? They had shown themselves to be sticklers for the rules - why allow the Sylveon and Tsuki so much leeway? Were they planning something, or had they just turned away for a minute.

Nebuka turned to a still hypnotized Clarity, though now her eyes were closed. "Let's get back to this, then. I want you to get out of this hypnotized state as fast as possible." He began his relaxing, hypnotic induction again. "Clarity? Can you hear me, Clarity?"

"Yes… I… felt something splash me…"

"That was your weakness, Clarity. Your weakness forced you to close your eyes - you had failed."

Tears fell from Clarity's face.

"Becoming an Explorer means everything to you - that's why it's so important for you to win, Clarity. But you lost everything… or have you?"

Clarity, in her hypnotized state, perked up.

"I'm willing to offer you our trade, Clarity. For you see, I was a born salesperson - I once owned GlassFit, one of the up-and-coming corb manufacturers. I was arrested once they found out I was hypnotizing people into buying our corbs… but that doesn't matter, does it? What matters now, dear Clarity, is our little deal. I will eventually get out of here but you _need _to become an Explorer. I am willing to offer you the match point so that you will take back the lead Violet and Apple lost… as long as you agree to let your team be delayed… let's say, five hours. That'll be a nice extra fifty or so years shaved off our sentences, won't it?"

"You can't do this!" Violet shouted. "Proctors, they can't make this kind of deal!"

"_There is a representative of your team currently able to speak for your entire team, Ms. Kain._ _If need be, a room will be provided for your stay._"

"I accept," Clarity agreed instantly. "If we get the point, then it doesn't matter how many hours we stay, we still will have a chance."

Violet looked apoplectic as Nebuka released Clarity from her hypnosis. "Clarity, how _could_ you?!"

Clarity glared at Violet. "How could I what? I just saved us from losing everything - you should be thanking me!"

"Thanking you? THANKING YOU?!" Violet screeched. "You - you - I can't believe this! You are the most ridiculous woman I've ever had the displeasure of working with! You just destroyed everything Apple and I-"

Clarity's eyes raged, as she opened her mouth to no doubt say things that would fracture her and Violet's friendship forever. Before she could, however, the tinny voice of the proctor came alive again. "_Both sides now have two fights, meaning that we will continue to the fifth and final round. If the participants of the exam are allowed to move on past this match, they will be forced to wait for an additional five hours before moving on with the exam. Is that clear?_"

Mint looked at Violet, who was struggling to contain her anger. "Yes," she finally bit out. "That's clear."

"Uh, yeah, that's alright," Apple said - though not without a small look of an indiscernible emotion at Clarity. Tsuki, sighing, agreed as well.

"I'm fine with that as well," Mint said while stretching.

"_Very well - may Mint Evoli and Jenny make their way to the arena?_"

Mint was about to walk over the bridge when Violet grabbed his shoulder. Resisting the urge to throw her away, Mint turned to her. "Yes?"

"Make sure you forfeit as soon as possible," Violet demanded. "We can't win this one, thanks to Clarity-"

"Excuse me?!" Clarity shouted. "Mint, you'd better do _whatever_ it takes to win. There will be _hell_ to pay if you forfeit!"

"Like what?" Mint couldn't help but ask. "What could you do that-"

"Rocket scooter." Clarity said simply. "If you forfeit, I won't make another for you."

… damn. Damn Nebuka for what he did.

"_May Mint Evoli please make his way to the arena,_" the voice repeated. "_If so_,_ he risks disqualification._"

Mint sighed, before making his way across the bridge. He would have to find a way to flub the task - Nebuka had shown that it _was_ minority decision, without a doubt, since he would have just forced Clarity to lose if it wasn't and therefore keep them there automatically for the rest of the test - without alerting Clarity to it, as she now stubbornly believed that Apple and Violet made a mistake, and would likely continue doing so for some time.

And she had the rocket scooter as a hostage, meaning that Mint couldn't just ignore her entirely.

… rocket scooter… forfeit… rocket scooter… forfeit… why did this have to be so difficult!

Then, once Mint made it to the arena, Jenny spoke. "Excuse me, proctors," she - he was wrong about her gender beforehand. "I would like to remove the chance of either of us to forfeit."

"_... _" The proctor said nothing. Mint remembered Jenny's reaction to the defenseless Clarity and he froze. Then… "_Very well_ -_ though, any illegal actions we have not expressly allowed, meaning everything except murder, will increase the intensity of the penalties you face. Furthermore, your sentence will not be reduced_."

"Jenny, what the hell are you planning?!" Napoleon shouted from the inmate's side. Next to him, Bruciatus narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Excellent." Jenny looked at Mint. "We'll have a fight to the death, like the other matches previous… but I won't allow you to escape as the others did." Jenny started giggling dementedly, ribbons swaying dreamily in the air. "No, no, no, no, no. We're going to have some fun."

"Thank you," Mint said, turning back to Violet. Violet looked at Mint as well, then looked to Tsuki and Apple, and then back to Mint. She sighed and then nodded. "Thank you, Jenny, for making this so much easier for me than before."

"Oh?"

"Now that you've removed the option of mercy and surrender, I can do this without the worry of upsetting someone. We'll fail… but there's always next year."

"_Fifth match, begin-_"

Before the proctor could continue, Jenny threw her head back and laughed. It was a disgusting, revolting sound. It went on for some time, raising the hair on Mint's back. The proctor fell silent.

"I'm sorry… did you think this was _actually_ going to be a match? That I cared for the points? That I'm going to 'test' you for minority decision like the others did?" Jenny grinned psychotically.

"I've… oh, you're young, you probably don't know… 'had fun' with _many_ children your age - they think I've 'done' around five hundred, but that's the bodies they could find. The real number is close to… oh, I don't know, three thousand. Every single body… every single child… was a _true_ joy. I have a sentence for five hundred years, so I will die in this prison regardless of how long I delay you… so I'll have some fun with you."

Mint was silent.

"But before then… let me tell you something that no one but me knows… that no one but me is allowed to know… I am not that that good of a fighter. I've never had training, never bothered to practice my moves. Never needed to, really. I had a different source of strength… one that only the Explorers who captured me could overcome." A ribbon trailed on the ground and tore away the rock with ease - the same rock that Violet had tried so hard to break.

"It offers no protection, not that I need any. All opponents… dead. Then… well, adults are far less fun than children are, but if I need a release, then they'll make do."

"And as to the source of my power?" One of Jenny's ribbons traced a path to her heart. "I could say what it is, but let's keep that a secret for now. For now… witness my transformation, and _love it_."

Mint had enough. "Let's just get this over with," he groused, walking forward - and then he was pushed backward, by some invisible force. It wasn't psychic powers, Mint could recognize those. No… it was something completely… different.

The proctor's speakers blared to life again. "_Inmate, cease-_" That was all they could saw before Jenny took some rubble and flung it at high speeds toward a spot on the chasm wall. Once it impacted, the proctor fell silent.

"We've listened to you for _far_ too long, proctor," Jenny whispered. "Now it's my time to shine."

The force grew and grew, pressing in on Mint from all sides. He could still move and walk if he wanted to, but everything was weighted down.

Then Mint felt it…

... despair.

He couldn't quite place exactly where it was coming from, but it permeated the chasm like poison through a well. Mint found it harder and harder to breathe, his heart beating faster and faster in his chest.

All of his teammates had fallen to their feet from the despair, Tsuki included. She particularly, looked fearful, as though the despair were something she was horribly familiar with, in all of the wrong ways. The inmates other than Jenny were equally affected, all unable to stand. Sotinari was bawling on the ground, trying to crawl away from Jenny as fast as possible.

Jenny, though, was unaffected… no… she was the _cause_ of the despair, of the darkness. She was smiling, as though she was having a release.

Then _it_ was released. Mint couldn't see exactly what it was - it was shrouded in mist - but it looked like pure darkness. Curling, twisting, undulating darkness. It was contained in the mist… but somehow Mint knew it was more than air.

The mist coiled around Jenny protectively, like a mail of armor. A bit of it touched Mint-

_Darkness, blackness, despair. Why would he leave us? He knew he was important - what gave him the right to leave us… to leave me… why did Arceus take him away? Why?!_

Mint flinched back, as strange memories that he never experienced flooded into him. Still, he stood his ground against Jenny.

Then it hit him. The pain, deep within his soul. He clutched his heart and saw that Tsuki did as well. A deep sense of grief rose… with the desire for revenge that wasn't his.

"Ooh," Jenny crowed, ribbons dancing. "A strong one - but then again, you're an Eevee, aren't you. They're particularly strong against this kind of indirect attack, mutator genes and all. I should know, I was one a long time ago."

"Shut up." Mint coughed, forcing a little bit of the black mist out. "What… what is this…"

"This… is Miasma. Produced from the Miasmata deep in my heart, it protects me from attacks and enhances my strength to ridiculous levels. I've only ever lost one fight with it at my side… and that was the fight I didn't bother using it in, against an Explorer."

Jenny smiled. "They'll try to kill me… but they won't be able to before I get a hand on you _and _your friends. Oh, how you'll look, how you'll feel… "Jenny gave a shiver of delight, unconsciously extending one of her ribbons to Mint. Mint, extending his claws, ripped it to shreds.

Jenny hissed. "Feisty, aren't you? I'll _enjoy breaking you._" Then she smiled. "And you know what… I'll pull out that as well. Enjoy this miraculous sight, Mint."

The black mist - that 'Miasma' coiled around her, and then… _infected_ her. Before his eyes, Jenny's normally white skin blackened into the disgusting color of rotting flesh. Her pink ribbons and ears turned moldy green, her eyes going from cyan to the color of vomit.

Miasma thickened around her, forming a shawl of darkness.

"Inversion… not known to the common man, once relegated as mere myth. A talent I, and _I ALONE_, posses." The monster that was once Jenny framed herself with ribbons. "Look, and worship."

Mint shot Swifts at her to shut her up, but the Miasma knocked them away without Jenny even moving a muscle.

"You must be wondering why your friends aren't coming to help you, Mint - why you're all _alone_." Jenny smiled. "And it isn't my fault. The proctors have cloaked this arena in illusions - they don't want this secret getting out any more than we do. Neither sight nor smell nor sound is escaping this pillar… nothing but the misery and darkness I possess."

"Do you ever _shut_ up?" Mint chanced a look back at his team. They were looking furtively at the pillar, trying to get a glimpse of him, but their eyes wouldn't focus.

Then there was a sound of a window opening and-

_PRESSURE!_

Mint nearly collapsed, as a weight many times heavier than the Miasma pressed in on him from all sides, multiplying the burden already on him. The weight nearly forced him to collapse, and if he hadn't trained against physical burdens (a _lot_ of what he was trained to resist was coming in useful recently), he wouldn't be able to move. As it was, he could move around semi-normally, though not with the amount of grace he usually had.

All others in the room suffered the same fate, his team and inmates alike falling to the ground as the Pressure froze them in most affected, though, was Jenny. The Miasma, which had been slowly spreading through the room and had completely surrounded him, was being forced back into Jenny like a vacuum. The despair Mint was feeling was being replaced by a placid feeling of calm, the strange memories that weren't his fading by the second.

"What… what are they _doing_?!" Jenny screeched, trying to push more Miasma out of herself in vain. "Why isn't it working?!"

Mint coughed a little bit of Miasma out, which faded away instantly. "Somehow, the Association has defenses against this. Looks like you aren't as special as you are vain, Jenny."

Jenny was about to say something if it wasn't for the crackling voice of the proctors returning. "_Testing, testing… Number 99, Mint Evoli, can you hear me?_"

"Loud and clear."

"_Kill Inmate 482 - real name, 'Jenny', and remove her heart. This task is mandatory - if completed, you will be allowed to proceed past this stage of the phase._" The proctor paused. "_In other words, don't let anything hold you back. Kill her_."

Mint's grin fell from his face. "Oh… it's that simple, then."

The blackness started fading from Jenny's flesh, the moldy green turning back to lurid pink. Jenny scowled, any lust pressed deep inside. "I will kill you… I will kill you all…" Ribbons shot toward Mint, who sliced them off without a care in the world as he walked toward an increasingly scared Jenny.

"Not so tough without your armor, your super strength, are you?"

"S-Stay away!" Their positions instantly reversed - the predator turning into prey, the prey into a predator, the Eeveelution running from the Eevee. "I-I'm warning you!"

Mint flashed.

Jenny blinked. "Why… it feels so cold… " she murmured.

She looked down at her chest. There was wind running through her chest… a tiny seam where her heart was. Blood started dripping.

Jenny slowly turned to Mint. In his hands was her tiny, green, still-beating heart. Black mist swirled around it.

"It's… mine..." Jenny whispered, slowly walking to Mint. Mint said nothing, as she walked toward him.

A tiny ribbon extended to her heart… then fell to the ground, slightly twitching. Mint watched morbidly as the light left Jenny's eyes for the last time.

Then, it fell out of Jenny's heart, out of one of the aortas. A small, black stone… the Miasmata.

"_Mint Evoli_," the proctor's voice crackled to life again. "_Miasmata are class-SSS contraband items. Touching them is strictly prohibited - please wait for the specialist to arrive to dispose of it._"

Mint whistled. Class SSS contraband - Mint had never even heard of that before. Contraband, as he knew it, was split into seven categories. Class D, for the mundane items that were braking local rules, like candy or pranks in a school where they're banned. Class C, for items that were widely banned across the world, like organs or anything else harmless on the black market. Class B were those that were in Class C but also held an element of danger as well, like firearms or drugs.

Class A contraband was those that you weren't allowed to make, for any reason (the earlier ones were allowed in some parts of the world for some reasons). Class S contraband wasn't allowed to be made or even owned. Class SS contraband wasn't allowed to even be known about to the wider public.

Class SSS objects weren't allowed to be destroyed - and according to his dad, there was only one element in that class of contraband. Now Mint knew what it was.

Mint edged away from the Miasmata, which all of the sudden became much more intimidating. In a second, two masked Pokemon with Explorer's badges teleported onto the scene. They gave Mint an appraising look, before taking a black box and putting the Miasmata in it. Closing the box, they waited for the last dregs of Miasma to burn away into nothing.

Then, miraculously, the pressure receded. Everyone was able to stand once again, though the Explorers were unaffected by the pressure in the first place. With a small pop, the two masked Pokemon teleported away again, leaving Mint alone in the arena with Jenny's corpse.

Mint turned to the inmates. "So, Sotinari, thirty minutes ago you dissed the Djinn's Jewels. Let's talk about that…"

* * *

Peaton walked slowly up the tower, keeping a wide eye out for any traps. He had already accidentally sprung a few, and only quick reflexes and his natural defenses had protected him from incredible injury.

Still, there weren't that many tricks to this tower. There were a few riddles here and there, but most of the traps were set physically, rather than mentally. Of course, it wasn't the same for everyone. There were a few windows that you could use to view other paths up the tower, and Peaton had already seen the different kinds of difficulties others had to face.

Some had to face mental difficulties, with riddles much harder than the ones he was facing (at the cost of the traps that had already stolen so much of Peaton's stamina). Other tests needed skills just like the second phase had, like sewing a dress - and if it wasn't a Leavanny taking that test, Peaton was sure they would fail.

Peaton stretched a little bit. The paths were getting narrower and closer together - the spire of the tower was getting close. Soon, he'd be able to get to it. He had four hours left or so, which means that he would be able to get a good rest in before the exam continued.

Peaton, after checking for traps, opened the door to the next chamber. There were three doors for the chamber, each leading to the room. There was one last path, with a locked door blocking the way. On it was a lock with three circular niches.

A corb-terminal sprang to life. "_Participants, this chamber is a cooperation chamber. Three badges must be used simultaneously to open the lock on the door. If the number of participants is less than three, you must wait for other participants to arrive_."

Peaton heard the subtext in the message. This was the Explorer Exam - no one who made it this far would have worked with other people. This was telling them to take the badges from the other participants and use them to open the door. This test was designed to cull the numbers.

Peaton reached into his sacks of treats and pulled out his lemonade grenades. Putting the lemon and squeezing it, he primed the lemonade grenade and prepared to set it off as soon as one of the doors opened.

Of course, there was a chance the doors wouldn't open, but there was nothing PEaton could really do about that possibility. For now, he prepared himself.

Seconds ticked by. And then… both doors opened.

Peaton didn't even have time to decide which door to throw the grenade at - that choice was robbed from him immediately as, before he could react, the grenade was knocked out of his hands by an invisible Pokemon.

Peaton watched slowly as the two doors opened… and yet no one came out of either. Was it a false alarm - were they-

That was all he could think before he was knocked unceremoniously to the ground, any other grenades in his bag disappearing. Peaton groaned - this was it, then…

"_Participants, this chamber is a cooperation chamber. Three badges must be used simultaneously to open the lock on the door. If the number of participants is less than three, you must wait for other participants to arrive_." The tinny voice went again.

"Cooperation, eh?" Peaton's spine crawled - that was White. He had already killed several people before the first phase, and several people _during_ the first phase. Peaton had seen White face the Tyranitar in Deathman's Gorge without a drop of fear, killing three of them casually.

The man was lethal, plain and simple. His bread and butter were writing and killing, and there was nothing Peaton could do to protect himself.

Peaton felt something grab him and push him over. Going limp, he allowed White to remove his badge. He preferred living, thank you very much. He'd gone far enough in this iteration of the exam - he could afford to drop out now.

"Well, X? How about it?" X - as in, the terrorist?

There was a shuffling, and Peaton felt his body rise, a cold, clammy pair of hands push his eyelids open. There, in front of him, was the enigmatic Pokemon. X betrayed no emotion, no body language serving any purpose.

"Yes, X" White drawled, tapping Peaton on the head. "He's alive - and honestly, you shouldn't really care."

X considered what White said, then dropped Peaton on the ground. Taking his badge, he passed it to White, who now had all three badges. Walking to the terminal, he placed the badges in. With a loud _whoosh_, the door opened.

White took the badges out. "Now that I have something you need, X," White waggled the badges around. "I'm going to need you to answer a few questions."

X started tapping his foot on the floor, in a 'tell me' gesture.

"First of all," White started off. "Why did you start that idiotic terrorist organization? Auntie _has_ been very concerned, and she really disapproves of what you've been doing - and don't even get me started on what Mom and Dad think."

They were family?

X said nothing.

"Yes, I know that _I_ don't particularly care about what they think, but I'm just a messenger. Starting a terrorist group is the stupidest thing someone like us can do - and you want to do it for what? Revenge against someone who we're not even sure exists?"

X moved into a fighting stance.

"Nice try, X, but you can't goad me into a fight that easily." White snorted, before passing X his badge. "I've found out what I needed to and delivered the message. I don't care what you do anymore."

Then, with jaunty steps, White walked through the door.

Then Peaton made the biggest mistake of his life. He tried to get up.

X took one look at him and narrowed his eyes. Then he looked at a strange spot on the wall… and then everything went black.

* * *

X didn't kill Peaton, only knocked him out… but he might as well have killed him anyway, considering what next would happen Peaton, considering the pump in the wall.

And X moved on, to the top of the tower.

* * *

"You should have let me take him!" Mint complained. "He was crying on the floor - he was practically begging for a beating."

"Mint, how the hell does your mind work?" Tsuki snorted as she flipped the pages of a strange comic she was reading. "Begging on the floor for his life does _not_ equal begging on the floor for his beating. In fact, they usually mean completely _different_ things!" Then she took an appraising look at Mint. "Still, that was an _awesome_ last move you pulled off against Jenny."

Mint groaned. "Look, I know it was 'awesome' and all, but pulling someone's beating heart from their chest is _not _something I like advertising. And anyway, my dad can do it without ripping the skin, and don't even ask me about that."

They were in a waiting room, waiting for the five hours that Clarity had 'bought them' (read: thrown away in hypnotic stupidity) to pass. Clarity and Violet had started work on a map of the tower, to make the decisions go by much quicker than they had before. Clarity had constructed a radio tower… antenna… thing, that would allow her to pick up sounds in a certain direction more easily and was using her echolocation technique to see the upper floors. She would then describe to Violet the map as she continued echolocating (using Violet's strikes as she had before).

Of course, every now and again Clarity would make a disparaging remark on how she had to work twice as hard to win back Apple and Violet's deficit, and Mint saw Violet make strangling motions toward Clarity, but for the most part, they put aside that over-and-done-with problem to focus on the matter at hand.

Apple was snacking on the fully-stocked fridge, saying that he needed 'to regain his larder', so he mostly focused on that. All Mint could do was hopefully strike up some conversation with Tsuki, who had brought her own entertainment.

"Your dad could do it without cutting skin, huh…" Tsuki looked up from her comic book. "Your name is Mint Evoli, right?"

"Uh… yeah? What's it to you?"

"Are you of the famous Evoli family of assassins?" At this, Clarity's ears perked up.

Mint shrugged. "Well, yeah."

"Evoli family of assassins?" Apple asked, looking at them while munching on pineapple, a pear, and a Rawst Berry simultaneously. "What's that?"

Tsuki looked at Mint. "Are you going to explain it to him?"

Mint considered it for a second. "Probably… though, I'm not entirely sure on what to say," he started off. "My family is one of the top assassin groups in the world, if not the best."

"Assassin groups… that means your family kills for a living?" Apple continued eating. "Is that how you killed Jenny?"

"Well, yeah." Mint scratched his head. "My family has pretty much mastered the craft. I've been trained since infancy to resist poison, drugs, hypnosis, and other things that could potentially be dangerous to me, I've been taught lots of different killing techniques-"

"Like Mirror Step?"

"Like Mirror Step," Mint affirmed. "And I've even been taught how to turn any part of my body into a weapon at any time." Mint extended one of his claws and dragged it across the bottom of the chair. A large, long scratch appeared, with his claw as pristine as ever.

"Woah..." Apple looked down at the scratch, then at Mint's claw. "You could probably kill me in a second, couldn't you?"

"Uh… " Mint wasn't sure to respond to this without coming off as a threat. "Kind of?" He looked at Apple in a funny way. "You seem _incredibly_ okay with all this."

"Well, I figured it out around last night, when you talked about Mirror's Ghost and X. That you know so much about crimes and stuff is pretty obvious, and it wasn't _that_ hard to figure out you're a criminal too."

Mint considered that. "I haven't really been trying to hide it, have I?"

"No, not really," Clarity answered turning from the map. There was a wary look in her eyes as if she hadn't _quite _seen the danger Mint could pose until now. "It's more that we've been blind to it than anything else."

"Well," Mint said. "Assassins are rare enough that it's not an accusation that leaps to mind."

"Do you plan on offing us anytime soon?" Clarity asked. "Or betraying us, or-"

"Clarity, why would Mint do _any_ of those things?" Apple laughed. "Mint doesn't feel evil at all - he feels as normal as we do. I mean, he's a killer, but he can laugh and play too."

Clarity narrowed her eyes.

"I don't feel any regret," Mint decided to say. "If that's what you're asking, no. Regret over death was something that was beaten out of me a long time ago."

"Then you wouldn't mind killing again? Like you did an hour ago?"

"Well, if I was forced to, I would," Mint said. "But for the most part, I've left that life behind. I'm going to become Mint Evoli, Grand Thief of the Djinn's Jewels, the greatest thieves that ever existed!"

Mint held out a paw. "Just imagine it… my image on every posterboard in the land… security doubling, no, _tripling_, just because I _might_ be interested… and the _mountain _of treasure I'll have… all that gold…" Mint started drooling.

Clarity looked at Violet, who had been listening in the conversation politely. "Should we be worried?"

"Probably. Let's keep an eye on him, in case he gets any ideas."

Mint shook himself from his fantasy. "And to become the Grand Thief, I'll have to join the Jewels in the first place - and there are very few members, only twelve or thirteen. I'll have to be, at the very least, an Explorer if they're going to consider me. After all, all of the Jewels are Explorer-level at _least_!"

Mint looked at the clock in the waiting room, which still showed three and a half hours left. "Can't this thing go any faster?!"

* * *

"Finally!" Mint exclaimed as the five-hour timer for their forced waiting time finally ticked down to zero. "Let's go - we only have two hours left!"

Running through the tower - a task trivial compared to the ridiculously long international tunnel they ran through yesterday - they made their way through the traps at a quick pace. Armed with the knowledge of minority decision (which Clarity didn't believe, making her the convenient minority), they went through each voting spot at a quick pace, the path Clarity and Violet traced out showing the way forward clearly.

Of course, this meant everyone but Clarity choosing the path on their watches that was contrary to the one they agreed on in the map (Clarity was picking the path as one normally would, but none of them cared since Clarity would still be in minority, and that was what mattered). Mint was a little concerned as to how long the effects of the hypnosis would last in Clarity and was a little worried it may or may not affect him getting the one-of-a-kind rocket scooter.

On second thought, maybe that was why he hung around with this group.

Mint kept a mental track of the time as the paths leading up the tower got narrower and narrower, as Mint's head began to feel lighter and lighter. Their elevation had risen dramatically in the time since they had gotten out of the waiting room - the five-on-five matches against the Erebus inmates must have been the main obstacle. These paths were confusing, but one could reasonably get past them as long as they had the right way planned.

Then they came to the final chamber, and the group went silent.

Corpses. They littered the floor, were stuffed into corners… and they were all participants. There was Peaton, off to the side over there. There was also the pungent remnants of chlorine in the air, though it was faded enough that it wouldn't harm anybody.

"What… what the…" Apple stammered. Mint narrowed his eyes.

Then the pre-recorded voice of the proctor - no, he must be the examiner - echoed in the room. "_Participants, this chamber is a cooperation chamber. Three badges must be used simultaneously to open the lock on the door. If the number of participants is less than three, you must wait for other participants to arrive_."

Mint looked at the front door. There, a pristine terminal stood, untouched by blood. Three slots for three badges.

Apple looked around nervously. "Where's the trick? I - Tsuki?"

Tsuki had ripped Apple's badge off his scarf - then, in a fluid motion, ripped Clarity's off hers. Taking the two, she walked to the terminal and placed them in. With a _ding_, the terminal lit up and the door onward opened.

She then threw the badges back at Apple and Clarity, who caught them wordlessly. "There is no trick. This was only a trap for murderous fools who think violence is the solution for everything." She grinned wryly. "Isn't it obvious? The deathmatches, the hunting for food, the Mystery Dungeon, the backstabbing? They were conditioning us to think with our fists so that the natural conclusion is to take them by force."

She gestured around to the dead Pokemon on the floor. "Those that made it here were psychopaths, given an opportunity to kill without repercussion. All of the roads led here, all of the psychopaths allowed to fight it out." She then frowned. "All of the dumb ones. The smart ones - those like White - didn't bother."

She then jumped into the air and clung onto one of the walls. Opening a tile, she revealed a gas pump. "The examiners must use this to kill off any of the psychopaths that manage to kill the other two before they get through the door."

"How did you-"

"The chlorine," Mint answered. "You guessed it was a culling from the chlorine in the air. This is a gas chamber."

They all went silent.

"H-How?!" Clarity asked, looking more disturbed than anything. "How can they _condone_ this? How can they even _contemplate _this? Wouldn't - I - this is _wrong_."

No one countered. Finally, Mint spoke. "We should get a move on. WE don't have that much time left-"

"Move on?!" Clarity shrieked walking backward. "This… I… how can you ignore this… Mint… "

She shut up.

"Consider this revenge for all those they killed," Tsuki finally said."All those in the exam they threw under the bus to get forward. Consider it a precaution against those they would have killed-"

"Would have killed? Why allow them to take the test in the first place?! Why allow them to… to…"

Clarity threw up, splattering the ground with even more biological matter.

"... to… oh, god… to do _this_? Does bloodshed matter to these guys more than their own lives?" Violet supported Clarity, looking just as disturbed.

None of them reacted quite as Apple did. Apple wasn't surprised or disturbed or anything, which was a little strange. Mint, thinking that he knew Apple well at this point, would have figured that he would be one of the most disturbed.

Instead, he just looked mildly disappointed.

"So," Apple said quietly. "They saw the bodies on ground… smelled that weird gas in the air… and they still fought each other to the death. Was there any reason for that? Any reason they decided to fight instead of… anything?"

Mint didn't have an answer to that.

Apple shuffled forward. "I… won't be able to forget this," he finally said, walking through the door. "And I know that none of you will either."

Mint would.

He had seen worse tragedies than this room of entombed Pokemon stupidity. Ring had shown him far worse than a single pile of bodies that had killed themselves. Far worse. Ring wouldn't have batted an eye at this.

Mint shook his head, and bat an eye.

* * *

_DINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDING!_

As the five arrived on top of the Tower of Enigma, a bell rang. Roughly twenty or so participants stared back at them, the five of them adding roughly twenty percent to the number.

A lanky Pokemon - a Sableye - stepped forward. "Welcome." Mint started - that was the proctor, the examiner. The one that had overseen all of the different tasks. His gaze went over all of them, lingering over Mint for a longer time.

"It has been ten hours since the third phase had started. Now, it has concluded." The door from within the tower shut. "Congratulations. Of the original five hundred participants, you are the remaining twenty-four. Of the tens of thousands of applicants, you are the top one percent." He smiled. "Excellent work."

Mint looked at his team. Clarity and VIolet were still shell-shocked from the chamber. Apple was paying attention, but half-heartedly. Tsuki had already left. None of the other participants were particularly cheery either.

"Now that the chaff, the weak, the incompetent, the idiots, the ill, and the psychopathically insane have been cut, we can start getting serious. I will be the examiner for the fourth phase as well."

The Sableye gestured to a teleporter pad next to him.

"Once you enter this pad, you will continue on to the next phase - the true test for an Explorer." The Sableye snickered. "A scavenger hunt."

* * *

**Well, that's it for now. If you recognize anything in this chapter... don't think about it.**

**I'd like to apologize for being late with updates, for plagiarizing Yoshihiro Togashi, and for generally making a cruddy story. I'm not sure if I'll resume this, since it doesn't really inspire the way I want it to. If you enjoyed this, feel free to drop a review. If you didn't... thanks for reading this far anyway.**

**See you.**


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